


Deceit's Friends On The Other Side

by StarryArtist



Series: Dark Side Saga [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Torture, Chains, Deceit Sanders Angst, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fear, Gen, Humiliation, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapped, M/M, POV Deceit Sanders, Pain, Physical Abuse, Psychological Torture, Torture, Verbal Abuse, Verbal Humiliation, Whipping, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2020-02-28 20:10:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 35
Words: 81,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18763354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryArtist/pseuds/StarryArtist
Summary: Deceit finds himself in a troubling situation when he is kidnapped in the middle of the night by his fellow dark-sides, after making a foolish decision to reveal himself to Thomas. Now, he must endure the terrible punishments that will be put onto him, while desperately hoping that one of the sides (Logan, Patton, Virgil, or Roman) actually care enough about him to realize that he's gone.Meanwhile, Deceit's absence causes some unexpected issues in Thomas's behaviour, and it is up to the sides to figure out what is going on before Deceit is too far gone.





	1. Unfortunate Happenings

 Deceit's POV

Deceit squirms, trying desperately to get comfortable underneath his covers. He was so cold all of a sudden, and the mattress beneath him had turned rigid and hard. With a grunt of discomfort, Deceit attempts to pull up his covers, only to realize that he can't move his hands at all.

_'Brilliant.'_ He thinks to himself, still half-asleep, as if this was completely ordinary. After a few more attempts to lazily adjust his position, he grunts in frustration and his eyes snap open.

"What-?" He mutters, his different-coloured eyes blinking repeatedly to try and clear what he thought was a hallucination. He was no longer in his bedroom, but instead in what looks like a living room. Four dark velvet chairs surround a cindering fireplace, which illuminates the room with a warm glow. The paintings hanging on the dark coloured walls are all abstract and have an eerie feeling to them. 

Deceit's eyebrows narrow in confusion and he feels a sore ache creeping into his arms. He can feel himself sitting up against a cold, metal pole and his wrists seem to be pinned above his head. He tugs against the chains wrapped tightly around his forearms, which makes an unpleasant scratching noise of metal-on-metal.

As if a switch flipped in his body, Deceit feels his heart leap within his chest as he realizes how dire the situation is. He was kidnapped in the middle of the night and chained to a pole. He swallows hard, mind racing to figure out who might have hated him enough to take it this far. Deceit has never been easy to get along with, that much is true. But to piss someone off enough to invoke this response? No. He couldn't think of a single person, or maybe he was lying to himself.

Then, a logical explanation pops into his head. This was a practical joke! It had to be. A sense of relief floods him, the feeling of paranoia dissipating in seconds. How could he really think someone could have kidnapped him? It was ridiculous, ~~right?~~. He smirks to himself, already planning his revenge on whoever had pranked him. Could it have been Logan? No, Logan is too serious, and wouldn't waste any precious time on something so unimportant. It easily could have been Roman, teaching him a lesson for the whole court scenario he had forced on them. But would Roman really take time out of his 'busy' day to deal with Deceit? Unlikely. Patton, the goofball with a heart of gold, never would have thought of this. Leaving one suspect; Anxiety.

Deceit rolls his eyes, a grin widening on his face. This all fits Virgil. The atmosphere, the scare factor, even the paintings dripped with the sort of edgy design he would love. _'Ha, I bet you thought you were so slick, putting this all together.'_ Deceit thinks victoriously to himself, despite still being chained to a pole like a dog. 

_'Virgil, my dear old friend. You have no idea who you're messing with.'_   Deceit perks up as he hears footsteps from down the hall. He can already feel his signature snake-like smile plastered on his half-scale face.

"Oh Virgil, commendable effort, really!" He announces to the empty room as the footsteps draw near.

"But next time you try to fool me, just remember one thing, will you?"

"It's not the  **bite** of the  **snake** that kills you, it's the  **poison** left behind.." He threatens arrogantly, voice dripping with syrup as he eyes the door hungrily like a predator. Deceit sees the doorknob slowly turn.

"Oh yes... I'm aware." A voice teases from behind the closed door. A voice that isn't Virgil's. Deceit's eyes widen in surprise, and he sits up straight. He swears he knows that voice from somewhere. 

"That's why you never  **wound** a snake; you  **kill** it." The door swings open. 

Deceit feels his world crumble around him as he instantly recognizes the persona standing in the doorway. A face identical to his own, and to every other side. Reddish-brown hair gelled up, revealing bright orange-red eyes with veins protruding from his eye-sockets like spider webs. A menacing smile, revealing sharp, crooked teeth. He wears a maroon suit with black accents.

For once in Deceit's life, he's at a loss for words. Deceit is unsure if he can lie his way out of this one. 

All because standing in front of him was Rage, one of the other three dark-sides. 


	2. Suspicions

Deceit's POV:

Deceit gazes at Rage, dumbfounded and unable to speak. A long time ago, Deceit had unanimously made the choice to separate himself from the other dark sides for Thomas's own good. They had been too powerful, able to completely flip Thomas's decisions and state of mind in the blink of an eye. Deceit, who lives for the basic function of self-preservation, was scared of this power, and even more scared of the consequences that came with these rash decisions. The other three sides; Rage, Pride, and Lust, disagreed with him and made it impossible for Deceit to have any sway over Thomas. That was until he had disconnected himself from them and hid away somewhere they could never find him... until now of course.

"How did you find me, after all these years?" Deceit questions, hiding his terror behind a quaint smile. Rage walks up to stand over him, watching in delight as Deceit presses his back against the pole, trying to get as far away as possible.

"Well, we wouldn't have found you if you hadn't revealed yourself to Thomas. That was a drastic mistake on your part..." Rage teases, swiping Deceit's black hat from his head and observing it closely.

"It was necessary to show Thomas who he truly is-" Deceit starts, watching as Rage tosses his hat aside.

"It was stupid, nonetheless." He interrupts, kneeling down in front of his prisoner.

"Now, let us talk about what happens next, shall we?" Rage teases, reaching to the side and grasping a thin knife. Deceit's eyes widen at the sight of the weapon, and he pulls against his restraints desperately.

"Now, now Deceit. I'm not going to kill you. We need you." Deceit stares at him with a bewildered expression, before collecting himself once more and grinning.

"You see, Thomas is very self-conscious of being a good person. With you lying to him about his _darker sides,_ we won't ever be able to take control. So, we're going to need you to keep your deceitful little mouth shut." Rage plays with the knife in his hands, his orange eyes fixed on his prisoner the entire time.

"And if I refuse...?" Deceit asks, cocking his head to the side. 

"Well, we have ways of making you obey." He raises his eyebrows in intrigue. Rage rises, and steps aside, gesturing to the table across the room with whips, knives, needles, basically anything a torture dungeon would need.

Deceit swallows hard, his eyes flicking from the torture instruments and back to Rage's sneering face. He clears his throat nervously, suddenly feeling exposed and vulnerable.

"You- don't know who you're up against." Deceit warns, grasping at straws.

"Oh, is that so? From where I stand, you don't seem like much of a problem."

"No, not me. I am talking about the other sides, Thomas's true sides." Deceit keeps his face as confident as possible, but there's a slight shudder down his back every time he glances at the table.

"What, Logan, Patton, Roman, and Virgil? They can't stop us." Rage insists with a sneer.

"Don't underestimate them. I did, and they bested me twice. Thomas will always listen to them, you have no chance." He spits with a devilish grin. Rage rolls his eyes and walks over to the table, gazing at all of the instruments in wonder.

"Oh Deceit, you have no grasp of the situation, do you?" Rage grabs a black, leather whip from the table, and looks over his shoulder.

"They can't stop us if we have  _you_. If you stop lying about his true self, then we can finally make a comeback." Rage approaches him once more, whip in hand. Deceit's breathing quickens, and he presses himself against the cold pole until it hurts his spine.

"All that is between us and complete control is  _you_ , and we will break you easily. So, why not save yourself the pain." Deceit avoids his eyesight, biting down on the lies he wanted to tell so badly. He knows that lying won't do him any good in this situation, but it is all he knows how to do.

"Will you obey us?" Suddenly, Rage's hands find Deceit's jaw, and he tilts his head up to meet Rage's hungry eyes. A low hiss crawls out from Deceit's throat. Deceit thinks of a million different lies to tell, but he knows that Rage will be able to spot a lie from a mile away.

" _Never._ " Deceit growls, eyes glowing with defiance. Rage leans closer.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" He asks, tightening his grip on Deceit. Before Deceit can stop himself, he spits in Rage's face. With a deep exhale of frustration, Rage slowly wipes the spit off of his cheek. 

Deceit feels Rage backhand him, and in his daze doesn't notice Rage getting closer. Cold hands wrap around his throat and tighten to the point of almost closing off his airways.

"Fine. Let's see how long you last." Rage whispers in his ear, which sends shivers down his spine. Deceit suddenly feels a sting in the side of his neck and glances over to see that Rage has injected him with some unknown syringe.

"What-- what have you--" Deceit slurs, the corners of his vision melding together to look like a watercolor painting. He struggles to keep his head up and his eyes open.

"Don't worry Deceit, you are in good hands..." Rage's words surround his head like a swarm of bees.

"N-No--" He mumbles, unable to feel his body any longer. Ink spills into his vision, rendering him unconscious.

 

 

Patton's POV

Patton pours golden syrup over the pancakes in front of him. He hears a disappointed exhale from Logan, who sits across from him. 

"At least put some fruit on those." Logan insists, holding out his hand and conjuring mixed berries, and holding them out to Patton. Patton smiles at Logan before taking the bowl from him and scooping a spoonful of berries onto the stack of pancakes in front of him. 

Patton glances around their mind palace. Large windows allow showers of yellow light to enter the room, brightening it up comfortably. The walls are a bright eggshell color, and a chandelier is suspended over their warm mahogany table by golden chains. They always meet here for breakfast before attending to their duties, and if Patton is being honest, it's always his favorite part of the day.

He gazes across the table to Logan, who is eating his regular protein cereal and fruit for breakfast. He has his face buried a copy of  _Les Miserables_ , which he has already finished on multiple occasions. He watches Logan's warm eyes go back and forth across the page. Patton also notices the subtle flexing of his facial muscles as his emotions change while submerged in the book.

Logan must have noticed someone staring and glanced up quickly. Luckily, Patton looked down onto his breakfast once more, his face blushing light pink. He hopes Logan won't notice, but of course he will, it's Logan after all. Patton glances up and their eyes meet. His heart flutters as Logan gives him a smile, before returning to his book once more.

Taking a deep breath, Patton focuses on his meal and takes a bite. The pancakes are fluffy and delicate, coated with the taste of buttermilk syrup. Both him and Logan look up as they hear footsteps approaching from the right.

"Morning." Virgil greets tiredly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Good morning Virgil! How'd you sleep?" Patton welcomes warmly, wiping a drop of syrup from his mouth. Virgil grunts in response, taking his seat and conjuring leftover spaghetti Logan had made last night for dinner.

"Would you like some fruit with your breakfast?" Logan not-so-subtly offers, handing him the bowl. Virgil rolls his eyes and takes a spoonful to appease Logan.

"Where's Roman?" Virgil asks, finally noticing that he wasn't here.

"He woke up early to help Thomas get ready for the audition today! Don't you remember him talking about it all day yesterday?" Patton reminds him.

"To be honest, most of what he says just goes in one ear and out the other." Virgil admits through a mouthful of spaghetti. Logan chuckles at that, barely taking his attention from his novel.

Suddenly, all three of them look to the left startled as the slamming of a door was heard. Patton sees the figure of Roman approaching them, his red sash sparkling brightly in the morning light. He enters the room, slumps into his chair and puts his head on the table.

Patton's eyes meet Logan's once more, and they almost seem to communicate wordlessly.

_What happened?_ Logan's raised eyebrows seem to convey.

_I don't know._ Patton's eyebrows furrow in a worried expression. Logan clears his voice and closes his novel.

"Roman, you now have our attention. What seems to be troubling you?" Logan asks with a bland tone. Roman exhales deeply before lifting his head up.

"Thomas blew the audition," Roman admits sadly, his eyes downcast. Virgil keeps a steady, cautionary stare on him.

"What? What happened?" Patton demands softly. Roman summons a glass of water and takes a gulp before continuing.

"He had an argument with the director." Patton and Logan exchange confused looks.

"In front of everyone?" Virgil sounds astounded. There is no way that Thomas would do something so... rash.

"Yes, in front of everyone! It was humiliating!" Roman exclaims loudly, his face flushing red as he pictures the bystander's faces.

"That's not even the worst part..." Roman trails off, his gaze switching between each of their bewildered expressions.

"After the ordeal, I tried to talk to Thomas about what happened. He instantly denied any wrongdoing on his part. That's not normal!" Roman insists angrily. Patton puts a hand on Roman's forearm.

"I'm sure it was just a bad day, Roman. We all have bad days." Patton comforts. It seems to help a little, but Roman still seems upset.

"I'm telling you something is different about him." Roman's eyes fix on the table once more. Virgil gazes at him in anxious silence, his mind running with a million different theories already.

"Nobody panic. We all tend to...overthink things often. We don't have enough evidence to concisely conclude that something is wrong with him." Logan's confident voice seems to clear everyone's worries and panicked thoughts. 

"Yeah come on guys, he'll get through this." Patton adds, which seems to bring the aura of the room back to a comfortable feeling.

"Now Roman, you need to eat breakfast. You won't be able to grow big and strong like all those princes you love if you don't eat in the mornings." Patton lectures lightly. Roman, who is still relatively shaken up, nods with determination and summons himself a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast.

As Patton resumes his meal, he can feel a shadow of worry over his mind. What if something was wrong with Thomas? Through the corner of his eyes, he sees Logan's face once more, and the sight of him seems to appease all of the questions flooding his head.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So, things are about to get pretty intense. I hope you guys liked the fluff in this chapter, cuz this is about as happy as its gonna get! Updating soon <3


	3. Humiliation

Deceit's POV

When Deceit came to, he felt an incredible soreness in his arms. Opening his heavy eyelids, he shakes his head, trying to clear the groggy feeling that presses on each side of his skull. With an immense amount of effort, he glances around to find himself in a different room, seemingly a dungeon due to the grey brick walls and damp air. It smells of dust after rain and he can feel the moistness of the room sticking to his skin. He struggles in his restraints and concludes he is chained to the ceiling by his wrists. The chain is long enough so Deceit has no trouble standing on the ground, but it is short enough to not allow him to step any more than two paces away.

"Oh god..." Deceit mumbles under his breath, a warm rush of adrenaline suddenly flushing through him. He can feel a sense of hopelessness settle within him already.

Deceit's head perks up once he hears footsteps approaching from behind. He doesn't bother looking over his shoulder to see who it is, he already knows.

"Good morning. You're a heavy sleeper." Rage coos from right behind his back, so close that Deceit can feel his breath against his bare neck.Deceit hadn't even noticed that he was shirtless until that very moment, and it made him feel even more out of place if that was possible.

"Why don't you face your prisoner with some honor, hmm?" Deceit mocks with a sing-song voice. He hears a chuckle before Rage steps in from behind him, revealing himself in the limited light.

"Very well Deceit. But, I have a feeling that after our  _session_ today, you won't have any sense of honour or pride." He hears Deceit swallow hard and his green snake-like eye seems to blaze with defiance, and yet darkens with doubt and shame.

"Do what you will with me, it won't change a thing." He hisses, trying to retain some sense of pride. That was a lie, of course. Deceit was, in fact, Thomas's only defence against the dark-sides.

"If you insist..." Rage teases, turning around to walk to the corner of the room, which held the same table he had seen hours ago. His fists clench instinctively in defensive anticipation, and he pulls helplessly against the cold, tough chains chafing his wrists painfully. Deceit watches as Rage picks up a black leather whip with sharp, pin-like tassels at the tip. Rage turns back to him, laughing mischievously under his breath as he watches Deceit's eyes fix onto the ground, an expression of despair written across his crestfallen face.

"Let me tell you the rules of our first little game."  He paces back and forth in front of his prisoner, whip in hand.

"I will give you thirty slashes," Deceit feels relief wash over him. Thirty wasn't so bad, and if he's being honest, he was expecting much worse from a side like Rage.

"But there's a catch, so don't get too cocky." His Captor states, glaring at him with a hungry and dark gaze. Deceit waits in the tense silence, jaw clenched and beginning to hurt.

"I will make you count each one until we get to thirty, and every single time you whine, or scream, or miss a number, we restart." Rage concludes with a wide, sadistic grin spread across his face as he watches Deceit's eyes widen in utter horror. He clears his throat anxiously, trying to find the right words.

"Rage--" Deceit begins with a tone so desperate that he embarrasses himself.

"Oh, is this the part where you beg me to not hurt you? Or perhaps agree to obey our every order?" Rage cuts him off, stepping threateningly close to his inmate, smiling as he watches Deceit's internal conflict before his eyes.

Deceit stands there in taut silence, considering his options. Why did he care about what happened to Thomas and his sides? It's not like they would do the same for him, so why was he so bent on protecting Thomas from the darker sides of himself? Maybe it's his own personal values that have betrayed him in this situation, which he had taught to Thomas not too long ago in the fake courtroom scenario. He would find that ironically funny if the stakes weren't so high and the consequences so drastic.

"Too slow." Rage declares, breaking the silence and quickly walking to stand behind Deceit. He feels his heart leap into his throat, feeling Rage's torturous presence behind him.

"Wait, wai--" Before Deceit can plead, he feels the whip strike across his back painfully, which results in a scream to erupt from his choked throat. Before his shriek passes his lips, he feels a cold hand clamp around his mouth.

"Silence. You asked for this. Now, you better start counting, or I swear to God I will whip you to death like a goddamn racehorse." Rage whispers into his ear. He can feel goosebumps explode across his flesh as he breathes heavily through his nose. The one slash across his back stings agonizingly, and he doesn't know if he can get to thirty.

Slowly, Rage releases his grip on Deceit, who jerks away from his touch, biting down hard on the side of his cheek as tears jerk in the corners of his mismatched eyes.

Another slash comes across his back, this one much worse than the one before. He holds back the pathetic need to whimper rising in his chest. He keeps his mouth shut, refusing to give in to his game. He hears a frustrated exhale come from behind him. Suddenly, the whip is wrapped around his neck and pulled taut, almost to the point of him not being able to breathe.

"Don't test my patience, I've got all day." Rage threatens, hearing a reptilian rumble from deep within his prisoner's throat. He pulls tighter, cutting off his airways. Deceit struggles in his grip, his chest burning with the need to breathe.

" _Count._ " Rage orders once more, and only releases the whip from around his throat once Deceit nods quickly, unable to go without oxygen for much longer. Deceit coughs violently, his throat burning and rough. Rage doesn't give him time to get his breath before he cracks the leather against him. 

"On-one..." He chokes, voice shaking as he forces the word out. He can feel Rage's victorious smirk burn into the back of his head. His wrists shake as he pulls hard against the chains to keep himself upright.

The whip rends through his skin, drawing blood this time. Deceit bit down so hard on the inside of his cheek trying not to scream that he had bitten through the inside of his mouth. The taste of metal fills his mouth relentlessly.

"Two--" His voice doesn't sound like his own anymore. It's shaky, embarrassing and choked with the urge not to scream out in utter agony. Rage doesn't give him time to breathe and register, he simply whips it across once the words leave his mouth.

This continues uninterrupted for around ten minutes. They had gotten to eleven, and Deceit was really starting to feel the burning that crawls deep in the gashes across his back. He can feel the blood trickling down, following the curve of his spine.

Another merciless slash. Distracted by the immense amount of torment, Deceit let a small whimper slip through his quivering lips.

Once he realizes his mistake, he feels his heart pound feverishly in his ears. Behind him, Rage tuts in fake pity.

"That's too bad, almost halfway there. Looks like we'll have to start over." Rage doesn't hide the pleasure in his voice, it only added to the humiliation factor of this particular torture method.

"No--" Deceit pleads, his face pale from the amount of effort it took to get this far. Rage cuts him off with another whip.

Deceit closes his eyes tightly, feeling a single tear slide down the scaley part of his face. He hated this. He was the villain of Thomas's story. If they could see him now, what would they think of him? That he deserved this? That he was too weak to fight back? Maybe they would join in on the fun, just to get back at him for all the trouble he had put them through recently. Hell, even Patton wouldn't mind watching this transpire, or at least that is what Deceit thought.

"I said _, count!_ " Rage yells loudly, whipping it hard against him.

"O--one--" Deceit hisses with a snake-like tone, restarting their game.

This continues for a couple of hours, Deceit having to restart on multiple occasions. He had gotten to twenty-seven on one of his last tries and nearly passed out when Rage had restarted for no reason whatsoever. When he finally got to thirty, Rage unchained him and threw him onto the floor. His wrists were bleeding and raw from the terrible chaffing from the cuffs. Rage had then re-chained his wrists to a chain connected to the wall and clamped a steel collar around his neck that also attached him to the wall. Rage left him there, shivering from blood loss and pain.

Deceit passed out in a pool of his own dark blood, pale and shakey as the darkness closed around him and wrapped him in its warm numbness.

 

Patton's POV

Patton idles in front of Logan's room, working up the courage to knock. He stands there in silence for fifteen minutes in front of the door, twiddling his fingers. He takes a deep breath to steady his nerves and knocks on the plain, wooden door.

"Come in." Logan's voice comes blandly from the other side of the door. Patton's heart leaps as his fingers brush against the brass knob on the door.

"Hey, Logan!" Patton greets with a warm smile as he pokes his head out from the door.

Logan's room is extremely tidy. He has a large desk against the back wall that looks out to an open window, revealing a cozy forest with a cobbled path leading to a lake. There are two large bookshelves on either side of his room, filled to the brim with books organized into genres and alphabetical order.

"What can I do for you, Patton?" Logan asks, fixing his methodical eyes on Patton's. Patton swallows hard and steps into the room. The atmosphere is instantly soothing, yet focused.

"I just wanted to ask your opinion on what happened earlier today at breakfast." He admits. Patton hasn't been able to stop thinking about it ever since Roman had stomped into the dining room and blurted it out. 

Logan leans back in his rolling chair, pondering the question for a second.

"I don't think its anything to worry about Patton. I'm sure that Thomas has just had a bad day, and lost his temper briefly." Logan's tranquil voice fills the room with confidence as he adjusts his glasses.

"I just- I'm worried that Deceit is causing trouble again." Patton finally comes to the point that he's been worrying about. Logan rises from his chair and approaches Patton, who shuffles nervously.

"It very well could be, but that also would mean that we can save Thomas from him. Deceit may seem intimidating Patton, but he's not more powerful than any of us. He talks big, but he can really only deceive and disguise himself. Nothing more." Logan assures his friend, placing a hand comfortably on his shoulder. Patton feels his heart pounding against his ribcage.

"Okay, thanks Logan." Patton replies, feeling calmer than he was before. It amazes him, how in such few words Logan could set all of his worries to rest. Logan smiles in response and turns around, beginning to walk back to his desk. 

"Wait, Logan-" He blurts out suddenly, causing Logan to turn back around.

"Could- I have a hug?" Patton asks submissively, holding out his arms in Logan's direction. It's common knowledge to all of them that Logan hates hugs, he never lets them touch him if he can help it. But, in this case... to make Patton feel better...

Logan walks back up to Patton and wraps his arms around his friend hesitantly. Patton is so surprised that he forgets to return the hug for a moment. Once his hands reach the back of his black t-shirt, Logan stiffens strangely. It was only a few seconds before Logan pulls away once more, smiles, and walks back to his desk. Patton's heart is fluttering, and butterflies feel trapped in his stomach. He immediately misses the warmth he had felt just moments ago. He had felt so secure and comfortable in Logan's arms.

Without another word, Patton quietly leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

Logan's POV

Logan watches intently as the door closes behind Patton. What had he felt just now? Why was it that he felt a huge burst of happiness once he had hugged Patton, and why now does he feel so alone? Why is he yearning for Patton to come back through that door?

Logan removes his black glasses and rubs his eyes. He quiets the strange dialogue running endlessly in his head.

"I'm sure its nothing..." He states aloud. He turns back to his sleek laptop and continues his work, but a nagging voice in his subconscious refuses to silence itself.

  


	4. Liar, Liar

Deceit's POV

The walls of the dungeon flicker in and out of view for what seems like forever. Deceit doesn't know how long he's been here, hours at least. When he was awake, he was in constant pain. The wounds that covered his back kept tearing open whenever he moved, revealing their gooey insides. He stopped trying to move. Besides, he was still chained to the wall so it's not like he could get very far.

So now he lays on the cold stone floor in his own blood, shivering as he tries to preserve what little body heat he has. For a minute, Deceit thought he might die in this dungeon, but that wouldn't make sense. For Rage to go through all the trouble of creating this sick torture chamber? No, he had a plan, and that scared Deceit more than the thought of dying here.

After an unknowable amount of time, Deceit hears a lock turning. Barely conscious, he watches as a crack of light appears as the door slides open. Somebody grabs hold of his shoulders and pulls him up. Deceit screams out in agony, the large scabs ripping open once more. The person must have unchained him from the wall because now they were pulling on the chain around his neck like it was a leash, and he was their pet. Deceit simply collapsed to his knees once more with an audible sob, shaking with immense effort and strain. The person sighs before pulling him up once more, wrapping an arm around his torso to support him. Deceit starts to cry out once more as his captor's hand presses against the open cuts on his back. A hand clamps over his mouth before any sound comes out.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you, sweetie..."  A voice soothes. It's not Rage's voice. Deceit feels relief flood him and an explanation pops into his head. Someone was here to save him. Who was it? He had no idea, but he didn't really care. Maybe Roman?

Deceit tries to help as much as he can, managing to support only a fracture of his weight. The stranger practically carries him to the open door and out of the damp dungeon.

They enter into a hallway, built of the same material. It is lined with what looks to be prison cells. It is lit dimly with an eerie golden light. They walk for a little longer until Deceit enters a familiar room. A well-lit living room with a crackling fireplace and four mahogany chairs aligned in a circle. This...this was the room he had first woken up in. His unknown savior sits him down in one of the chairs. He sucks air through his teeth as his wet wounds stick against the fabric. His eyes can barely stay open as he watches the light of the fire climbing up and down the wall. Then he remembers Rage and his whole ordeal.

"We- we need to leave- now." He warns, trying to get up again before someone pushes him back into the chair.

"Rest for a while..." That voice comes again, coated in good intentions.

"N-no you don't understand-, I can't let- Rage take over Thomas." Deceit starts again before that hand comes onto his chest and shoves him into the chair. He tries to get a look at his savior, but he still can't see very well. His eyelids are constantly threatening to close as his cold-blooded body attempts to warm itself by consuming his energy at an alarming rate.

"Why not? I mean, we've never been very appreciative of you." Deceit melts into the back of the chair, eyes completely closed but his mind still racing with warnings.

"You've never- been the smart one, Roman." Deceit chuckles weakly at that, picturing Roman's insulted face.

"If they break me- Thomas will never be the same. I am his  _only_ defense against Rage and the others." 

"Come now, Deceit. You underestimate us." He shakes his head, hand on his burning forehead.

"You all have one fatal weakness. I know them, and if Ra-Rage finds out, you won't stand a chance." Deceit's voice rises in volume. Why can't Roman understand? Why won't he just take him out of here?

"Hm. What's mine?" Deceit slams his hands on the arms of the chair and pulls himself from the back, wincing in pain as the fabric reluctantly unsticks to his skin.

"You moron! Do I have to spell it out for you? Yours is---" In his fit of anger and frustration, Deceit's eyes finally fly open and meet his saviors face.

The side's hair is combed gently and falls over one of his eyes, which are a warm, yellowy brown. He can see streaks of gold glitter in his hair that sparkles in the light. He is wearing a golden v-neck shirt that has rips sewn together with a fishnet design. Zippers go down both sides of his black jeans.

"Is---" Deceit repeats, dumbfounded and struggling to cope with the side in front of him. His eyes scale Deceit's quivering body.

"What's wrong, love? Don't recognize an old friend?" The sound of his heart fills his head, the slashes on his back aching in sync with the beat. Deceit jumps to his feet quickly, ignoring the blistering pain and makes towards the door. The side grabs a hold of the chain connected to the collar around his neck and pulls hard, pulling them face to face.

"Come now, Deceit..." He mocks, moving closer so their faces almost touch. Deceit's hands grip at the metal band around his neck, trying to loosen it.

"Don't you remember my name?" His head cocks to the side teasingly as his free hand reaches behind him and digs his fingers deep into the whip slashes. Deceit arches his back and holds in a shriek by clenching his teeth. His eyes water, but he refuses to be humiliated in front of this side.

"Say it." The demand comes harsh, Deceit closing his eyes as he feels his hot breath against his skin. The side's fingers twist within his open flesh and claw deeper in than before. This forces a scream from Deceit, whose legs are threatening to give out. He lashes out like a wounded animal, trying to push him back. The side merely chuckles at his meaningless efforts at escape and twists the chain, tightening it further and forcing Deceit to pull on it helplessly to get any breath at all.

" _Say my name._ " The words sound distorted and wrong. Deceit finally can't take anymore, the agony becoming unbearable as he feels his rescuer's hands scraping mercilessly against exposed tissue, spilling hot blood down his back.

" **Lust**!" He blurts out loudly, nearly lowered onto his knees as he sinks ever downwards.

With a victorious smirk, Lust releases his grip on Deceit, letting him collapse onto all four fragilely with a sharp cry. Another set of footsteps approaches from the corner of the room.

"Very intriguing..." Rage observes Deceit, who attempts to get to his feet and falls onto his stomach, blowing all the air out of himself.

"Nice work, Lust. Couldn't have done it better myself." Rage compliments, watching as Deceit managed to get back onto his knees and hold his head up to preserve some dignity. Lust's amused grin makes his stomach turn.

"Just like the old days, right?" Lust watches as recollection glazes over Deceit's eyes. He glares at them both, looking feverish and pale from blood loss and overexertion as he recalls the memories he worked so hard to repress.

They had always bullied Deceit, by ignoring him or locking him in the basement for days on end. Once he had told them he wanted to separate, things got worse. The other three used to jump him once he had left his room and beat him unconscious to get him to do what they wanted. Deceit had to lock himself in his room so they couldn't get him. He went days without food or water just to avoid them. Eventually, Deceit finally escaped from them, settling down in a hidden part of Thomas's mind palace.

And now, it looks like history was repeating itself.

"So the other sides have fatal weaknesses, do they now? Well, we are certainly going to have to get that information from you." Rage threatens with a menacing smirk.

"You-you can both go to hell. I'm no-not telling you any-anything." Deceit states with false-confidence. Truly, he didn't know how long he would last against both of them.

"Big words for someone so... vulnerable." Lust comes up behind him, placing his hands on Deceit's shoulders, which causes him to flinch. While Rage was easy to predict, since he so often flew into blind anger, Lust was always the one that Deceit had trouble understanding. He had always thought it was sexual desires that drove Lust, but it turned out to be any desire. Whether that be money, friends, love, fame, etc. It was always Lust's doing when it involved any desire. And that was dangerous since lust for anything can drive any person to the worst of themselves. Even someone like Thomas, who always tried to remain humble.

"You know, he would look a lot better with some  _color_ to his face." Lust states in a tone of malice, his hands brushing over Deceit's yellowish-green scales on the left side of his face. He shudders under his touch, knowing that  _color_ meant  _bruising_.

Rage kneels down in front of Deceit, who leans away slightly.

"Come now Deceit, save yourself the pain. Tell me everything and obey me. This is your last chance." Rage urges with a fake tone of pity. Deceit's eyes fix onto the ground. He watches the light from the fireplace flicker against the dark hardwood.

"You know how Lust operates, don't you? You see, while I'm fairly good at physical torture, Lust is an  _expert_ in every form. He will condition you without breaking a sweat." Deceit actually considers giving the other sides up for a moment. He quickly shakes the thought out of his head, ashamed with himself. His primary focus will always be self-preservation, and if he gives in now, what would Thomas become? A monster almost definitely, driven by a constant wave of unquenchable anger, and his every desire.

But what if Deceit could lie...?

"Whose do you wan-want to know?" He asks submissively to Rage, who glances up at Lust with a look of astonishment.

"Logan's first."

"His heart." Deceit lies. Logan has no emotions, he only has a knowledge of what they are. Rage stares at him for a moment, seeing if he would crack under pressure. He doesn't of course, he's an expert liar.

"Patton's?" 

"Logan." Deceit had no idea that it was indeed the truth. For the longest time, Patton's weakness was all of the sides equally, but lately, Patton has found himself undeniably attached to Thomas's logical side more than anything else.

"Roman." The facade continues.

"His love life." Wrong. Roman does, in fact, cherish romance, but Thomas's honor is far more important.

"Virgil."

"His fears." Not entirely a lie, but Virgil's depression impacted him more than anything.

Rage ponders for a moment, studying Deceit's emotionless face. It all made perfect sense, which is why he found it a little suspicious. Deceit had told him  _exactly_ what he wanted to hear. Rage rises once more and walks to the table, holding all of his favorite tools. He picks up a lie-detector shock collar and brings it over to his prisoner. 

Deceit recognizes it immediately, causing his eyes to widen. It's the same one they had used on him all those years ago. He swallows hard as Rage clips it onto his neck, right above the metal neckband. He fastens it tightly so that the metal prongs jab deep into Deceit's neck. A light flashes yellow on the front, awaiting a statement to judge.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" Rage orders, sitting on the mahogany chair in front of the kneeling captive. Deceit feels Lust's hands abandon his shoulders, causing him to relax a little. Maybe he could convince the lie detector? He would surely try.

"What is Logan's fatal weakness?" Rage asks once again, his eyes burning into Deceit. He takes a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heartbeat.

"His heart." He repeats the lie.

The room is silent as the collar processes the statement. He can feel himself sweating in terror, praying that the collar flashes green. 

The collar makes an abrupt beeping noise, the light flashing red. Deceit feels breath catch in his throat, his eyes meeting Rage's unimpressed face.

"No-no wai--" Deceit's voice is cut off as the collar unloads a pulse of over 50,000 volts through his body. His muscles contract stiffly as liquid fire runs through his veins. A bloodcurdling scream erupts from him.  Bright white flashes appear in the corner of his eyes as he lurches forward. The electricity exits his body, leaving a horrible burn residing everywhere. Behind him, Lust begins to tut his tongue in disappointment. Deceit gulps down breath, heart racing painfully within his chest.

"How unfortunate." Rage declares like a disappointed teacher.

"I-I can explain-" Deceit starts to say in a harrowing attempt at salvation.

"Don't bother. Have fun with him, Lust." Rage rises from his chair and makes towards the door. Lust's hands find Deceit's shuddering shoulders once more and grips them in an inappropriate manner.

"Wait--wait!" Deceit practically begs, willing to do almost anything to not be alone with Lust. Rage looks over his shoulder at the pathetic display. Deceit has one last card up his sleeve, and he's sure as hell going to use it.

"What- what in the world do you think is going to happen to you after I get out of here?" Deceit threatens, holding his head up so that the charger-like prongs don't jab into him as much. Rage raises his eyebrows in intrigue and walks back to stand over Deceit.

"I am the instinct of self-preservation, so if you think you'll be able to keep me here, you're wr-wrong." He tries to be as convincing as possible, but it's hard to seem threatening when you're in such a terrible state.

"If you leave me he-here, I will make you  _regret_ it." He seethes, baring his teeth to his captor. Rage stares at him with a look of amusement and astonishment. His prisoner is  _threatening_ him, and he knows the perfect way to break down Deceit's ego.

"So, you could dismantle my entire plan singlehandedly?" He inquires, tilting his head creepily.

" _Yes._ " Deceit assures, voice basically dripping with threat. Rage spots something and gives him a condescending smirk.

"No. You couldn't. You see, that proves it." Rage points to his neck as a beeping noise goes off. Confused, Deceit looks down to see the light on his shock collar flashing red.

He looks back up to Rage with a heart-wrenching expression of disbelief and shock.

Rage walks off, cackling to himself as Deceit's anguished howl fills the room. Lust takes the opportunity to push Deceit onto his back and slam his steel-toed boot down onto his chest. A soundless scream catches in his throat as all the air is blown out of his lungs.

"What's wrong Deceit? You look a little  _rattled_." Deceit's ears fill with the sound of Lust's maniacal laughter.

If Deceit knows Lust, this night was going to be  _slow_ and very, very,  _painful_.

 

Roman's POV

Roman twists and turns in his soft, elegant covers. It's been three days since Thomas's failed audition, and Roman still couldn't stop thinking about it. He sits up, slamming his hands down on his bed.

It wasn't normal for Thomas to not confront him about the situation. No one else was listening, not Patton, Logan, or even Virgil. They all brushed it off as a 'bad day'. Roman knows Thomas, and he knows for certain what Thomas's bad days look like. He usually falls into a state of depression and refuses to go outside or interact with literally anyone. But, this... this was different and Roman knew it.

And he was going to **prove** it.

 


	5. Limits

Deceit's POV

"What to do, what to do..." Lust thinks aloud, looking down at his next victim. Deceit struggles underneath the weight of Lust, who presses down onto his chest with half of his body weight. Deceit's back burns in pain as his wounds are rammed into the ground. His hands are tightly wrapped around Lust's boot, trying to lift some weight to alleviate the agony.

"You see, Deceit..." He begins, lifting his foot from his shaking chest and delivering a blunt kick to his side. Deceit curls in on himself for a moment from the sudden blow with a moan. His mind is racing, he needed to get out of here before it's too late. Before Lust hurts him so badly that he won't even be able to move, let alone escape. 

With a deep breath, Deceit rolls onto all fours and pushes himself up onto his feet quickly. 

His vision tunnels onto the door at the other side of the room. Deceit takes a few quick strides before tripping over himself, landing on his stomach with a grunt. He can hear Lust's giggling from over him as he starts to get back onto all fours, feeling the strange burn of a fever returning.

Lust grabs a hold of his make-shift leash and tugs hard, bringing Deceit back onto his knees, gripping his collar tightly.

"Oh Deceit, you know I love this cat and mouse game. Unfortunately, we are on a time restraint, so we're gonna have to get right into the good part." Deceit spins around, grabbing hold of his own chain in a tug-of-war like manner.

"You  _sick_ bastard. You touch me, and I'll _rip_   _you_ _apart_." He hisses, pulling hard on the chain in an act of defiance. Lust laughs at his threat, finding it funny how Deceit still thought he ran things around here.

"Pathetic." Lust states nonchalantly, releasing his end of the chain. Deceit stumbles backwards, feeling his heels reach precariously close to an edge. He glances backwards, staring down into the long, shadowy staircase behind him. His turns back around quickly as he feels Lust's hands on his bare chest.

"What a coincidence, That's exactly where we need to go!" Lust exclaims mischievously before mercilessly shoving his prisoner down into the staircase. 

It's all happens in a blur. One moment he's at the top of the stairs. The next, the only thing he can see is a blur of stone wall and spots of bright colours as he repeatedly bounces off of the concrete steps, rolling down at a dangerous speed.

He lands in a daze at the bottom, entire body aching from the repeated contact of the blunt material. Suddenly he's moving again, but this time Lust is dragging him across the floor. He begs his body to fight back, but he remains still, a concussive pressure settling in his skull.

Still half-conscious of the situation, Deceit watches helplessly as he is dragged deeper into the dark.

 

Deceit lays motionless on the cold concrete where Lust had left him moments ago. He hears the sliding shut of a steel door and the  _clink_ of a padlock closing. Strobe lights flick on, burning into his eyes, which aren't accustomed to so much light at once. A low moan releases from him as he shuts his eyes tightly, hearing a slight ringing in his left ear. He's positive that he has a minor concussion from the fall.

He can hear Lust humming to himself as he sets up the room. Deceit slowly elevates himself on his elbows and opens his eyes once more, letting the artificial light invade his senses. He tries to ignore the massive headache as he absorbs his surroundings.

The room is huge, the size of half of a cafeteria, with a bathroom tile floor. It reeks of disinfectant and various other cleaning chemicals, like walking into a clinic. This only worsens his growing migraine. There are two drains in the floor that dip down slightly to catch and drain any liquid. Lust notices how he stares at them in confusion.

"Do you want to know what that drains?" He asks with an insane expression.

" _Blood._ " Lust replies, amused at how Deceit managed to keep his face still. His mismatched eyes tell another story, glazed with deep terror in anticipation of what was yet to come. The subtle twitches in the muscles in his face relays the same information to Lust.

Deceit continues to look around the room, noticing many areas with a place to chain a victim to the wall, ceiling, and floor. His eyes fix on a strange metal bathtub at the back of the room. It has shackles on the arms of the tub, ready to hold the unwilling forearms of an unfortunate prisoner. There are two metal tables nailed into the floor, which are also supplied with metal clamps to pin down someone. A small tray of syringes is wheeled beside the two, seemingly filled with all sorts of terrible drugs. The walls have tool displays, holding everything from knives, to lead pipes, to crowbars.

There are many other strange devices that he can't seem to comprehend. He is so overwhelmed, both in mind and sensory overload. He just stares at all of it in a sort of terrified wonder, his mouth agape. A sudden realization embedded itself in the back of his mind. He is utterly screwed.

"So what do you think, love? I know, it's a lot to take in." Lust's voice cuts through his panicking mind. Deceit decides to remain silent, knowing its probably better than trying to spite Lust and getting himself in more trouble than he is currently in.

"No words? That's alright, these walls are soon going to hear the sound of your sweet screaming..." He coos in a sweet tone, eyes scanning Deceit's pale, sweat-drenched skin. Deceit hates the way Lust is observing him like some sort of specimen to be tested.

"Interesting..." Lust says, coming up to him and placing a hand on his burning forehead. Deceit instantly jerks away from his touch, scraping his elbows against the rough tiles.

"Must be from the infected wounds on your back. Don't worry, I've got the perfect remedy for that." Lust says with a queasy smile, picking up his chain from the floor and pulling him up to his feet. Deceit sucks air through his teeth, one of his legs singing in pain. He looks down to see his knee is badly bruised and bleeding, an intense lump pushing up against the skin sickeningly. It must have been fractured when Lust pushed him down the stairs.

Lust pulls him along towards the metal tub. He limps terribly and grips the side of the bathtub once they reach it to support himself.

"Get in." Lust demands threateningly. Deceit simply obeys, saying to himself that this would be much better than any other method in the room. He takes it slow, careful not to bang his aching knee on anything, and settles against the cold metal as comfortably as possible. Lust grabs his arm and presses it against the arm of the bathtub, and clamps the metal shackle over his wrist.

"What are you getting out of this?" Deceit inquires as Lust does the same to his other wrist.

"Other than breaking you physically and mentally for my own pleasure?" Lust mocks, his hands slipping around Deceit's throat.

"A chance to show Thomas the beauty in getting your every desire." Lust answers, hands sliding down his neck and across his shoulders. Deceit shudders in discomfort.

"You don't-know Thomas. He wouldn't ever put his own needs before anyone else's. Believe me, I've tried." Deceit explains, faintly hoping to discourage Lust from whatever he was about to do to him.

"Well, I can be very persuasive, you'll soon find out." Lust puts a black hose in and turns a blue valve. It starts to spew water, which splashes slightly onto his skin, making him flinch. The water is freezing, chilling him down to his aching bones as it fills between his legs.

"It-won't be enough. His other sides will always come to his rescue." He tries to edge away from the frigid liquid as it swirls and covers the entire bottom. Lust laughs as he rummages around in a bin behind him.

"That's why we need you, and you're going to tell me everything..." The water rises to waist level, submerging his bare calves in water. He was wearing only a pair of black shorts that he was wearing under his suit pants when he got kidnapped, making most of his skin bare and vulnerable to the cold. Goosebumps spread across his skin as he starts to shiver.

"You-you think a cold bath is-is going to- do anything?" Deceit says between chattering teeth, the wintry water biting at his naked skin. Lust chuckles under his breath, standing over him with a bag of ice in his hands.

"Oh, I think you'll find it quite effective." He tears open the bag and empties the ice into the bath. The water rises to half-way up his torso, and he visibly shakes, muscles aching with a deep chill. He can feel the water stealing the body heat from him.

Lust continues emptying three huge bags of ice into the bath until the entire surface is covered in floating ice cubes. He waits until the water level is just beneath Deceit's neck before turning the water off and taking the hose out.

He can feel his nose beginning to run, his entire body begging him for warmth that he does not have.

"So, do you want to explain one of their weaknesses?" Lust asks, hands on his shoulders once more. Normally, Deceit would object or jerk away, but his hands are warm against his cold skin. He hates that Lust is touching him, and he hates the fact that he enjoys it even more.

"No-" Deceit states, clenching his fists to try and stop the shaking.

He feels Lust's hand grab the top of his head.

"That's too bad..." He whispers into Deceit's ear.

Deceit feels Lust shove his head underwater without warning. It takes him a couple of stunned seconds before he starts kicking and fighting against the weight of the water pressing against him. Glacial water fills his ears and nose completely. His blood is running bitterly cool through his constricted veins. Deceit tries to scream, only resulting in the water to remorselessly push itself into his mouth and throat. His teeth sing in pain, and his lungs are desperately yearning for breath. The breath he doesn't have. His ears are aching terribly, even worse than the intense pressure at the back of his eyes. He flails desperately as adrenaline pumps through him. He can no longer feel anything, only the numb of the arctic cold surrounding him and the burning desire for air.

Lust finally releases his hand after about a minute. Deceit's head breaks through the water, violently coughing up the water he had sucked into his throat. He gulps down shaky breaths, blinking repeatedly to clear the water from his eyes. His chest is tight and wheezy, bringing a strange teary sensation to his eyes.

"How about now?" Lust's voice sounds so much different, due to the water trapped in his ear canals. 

"Wait, could you repeat that? Did you say 'No'?" Lust toys, hand gripping Deceit's drenched hair once more.

"Wai--" Deceit begins to scream out, being interrupted as his head is submerged in the water once more. He had gone in with basically no air from trying to yell out, so already his body was screaming with the need to breathe. Freezing water fills his every orifice as he instinctively tries to breathe, only being greeted with suffocating liquid. The edges of his blurry edges begin to darken, and his thrashing limbs began to slow, refusing to respond to his every desperate signal. 

Lust allows him to resurface once again. Choking and wheezing in a desperate manner, Deceit feels a warm, nauseous feeling fill his mouth. His head lurches forward and pukes out all of the water that he had swallowed in his panicked state.

He finds himself sobbing involuntarily, an earache drilling deeply into his head. In his blind fear, he must have thrashed around enough to splash a lot of ice out of the bath, revealing a clear picture of himself in the water. His eyes fix on his reflection.

Deceit looks completely dishevelled. His dark, drenched hair sticks to his forehead flatly. His lips are a light shade of sickly blue, which is a stark contrast to his extremely pale complexion. His eyes are red and irritated, and the scales on his face have dulled in colour.

Deceit finds himself fixed on his own reflection, watching the surface of the water ripple as water drips off of his nose. It is a haunting picture, seeing himself so unhinged.

_'_ What the  _hell_." Is the only thought that comes to mind. How was it possible that they had done this to him in only a couple days? Was he really so easily broken?

_Was he really that weak?_

He is broken out of his trance when Lust's hand grabs his head once more.

"Wa-wait!" He yells out desperately. Lust stops just as he was about to enter the water.

"What is Roman's weakness?" He demands with terrifying authority. When Deceit hesitates, Lust begins to push him under again. Panicking, Deceit's mind falls back on its primary objective:  _To survive at all costs._

"It's--it's his honour--!" Deceit splurts out, the water reaching his chin and threatening to close in on him.

"His honour... very interesting indeed." Lust believes him. He had learned a long time ago that Deceit would tell any truth when pushed to his limit.

Deceit's expression breaks as he realizes what he had said. He failed Thomas and the other sides. He had betrayed the very person that he was supposed to protect at all costs. It had taken Lust only 30 minutes with him to get Deceit to deny his very purpose in life.

"Thank you for your honesty, Deceit. Now, where were we?" He doesn't have a chance to feel surprised before his head is dunked underwater again.

 

Roman's POV

Roman rises up into Thomas's view as he sits down on the couch.

"Oh, hey Roman." Thomas greets with a confused expression. All of his other three sides rise up as well, startling Thomas.

"What is going on?" Thomas asks, standing up slowly and cautiously. 

"Roman is overreacting and told us to meet here." Logan explains, gesturing to the prince-like side. Virgil laughs under his breath as Roman clenches his fists angrily.

"Would you shut it!? I'm telling you, there's something wrong with him!" Roman snaps at Logan, who rolls his eyes.

"Now, now Roman, no need for violence." Patton calms him as Roman conducts himself once more.

"Something wrong with me?" Thomas gestures to himself.

"I'm perfectly fine Roman." Thomas assures him.

"See? He's fine, so can we leave?" Logan asks quickly, eager to return to his books and work.

"I don't know..." Virgil admits, noticing that he seemed more...confident?

"See? Thank you, Virgil."

"What seems to be different, hmm?" Logan mocks, gesturing to Thomas.

"I- don't know! He just seems off!" Roman exclaims in frustration. And with that, the entire room bursts into argument, except for Thomas, who stands there smiling.

"--if you don't have any proof then--"

"--believe for once in your life---"

"-isn't helping, we need to work together---"

"--tell him to stop being so--"

"--factual and realistic? I apologize for--"

"-worrying too much--"'

" **Stop!** " Patton shouts out, causing the entire room to go silence. It took a lot to make Patton yell, so when he did, everyone listened.

"Now, everyone needs to discuss this together as a family!" Patton insists sweetly. Logan takes a deep breath to collect himself.

"What do you have to say in this Thomas?" Logan asks Thomas, who had begun scrolling through his phone as everyone argued.

"Oh, me? I mean, who really cares." Thomas admits, going back to his phone. Logan goes silent for a moment, unable to process it.

"What? What do you mean, kiddo?" Patton inquires in a parental tone. 

"Well does it matter if I'm different? I know what I am now, so that's what matters." Thomas states in an authoritative mannerism.

"What--what are you now?" Virgil asks, sensing danger.

"I'm a bad person." Saying the words makes Thomas's smile drop as if he hadn't known. The sides glance at each other nervously.

"No you're not Thomas, you know that!" Roman declares in a confident voice and one of his dramatic gestures.

"But, I feel like I am. I feel like I've been lying to myself for so long, and a blindfold has been lifted." He explains with a low-spirited face. All of them remain stunned silent. They had never seen Thomas in such a state. It's almost like he was  _accepting_ it, yet he was obviously distraught at the thought. Like he's sitting on the fence of good and bad, equally as likely to fall in either.

"And maybe that's okay." Thomas smiles once more, leaving the room before anyone could stop him.

 

The sides exchange bewildered expressions of fear and worry.   
All of them are thinking the exact same thing;

" _What just happened?_ "  


	6. Small Victories

Roman's POV

"Look, I don't want to say I told you so, but..." His voice trails off as they all stare at each other in total astonishment. Virgil lets out a long exasperated moan, burying his face in his hands.

"Well, at least we know who is behind all of this." Logan states, rubbing his temples in anticipation of a rough couple of days.

"Who?" Roman and Patton say simultaneously. Logan stares at them in silence with a condescending look, due to the fact that they hadn't put the pieces together.

"Deceit." Virgil announces without lifting his head. Silence falls once more, everyone's minds picturing the side cackling at their situation.

"I-I should have known. I let you all down, and for that, I apologize." Logan expresses his regret, eyes downcast. Roman notices the way Patton stares at Logan, with a gaze that says 'I would do anything to make you not hurt anymore.' He thinks nothing of it.

"It's not just your fault Logan, it's mine too. I just... I am scared of the idea of him being one of us. So, I tried to avoid thinking about it, and maybe that's why we are all caught so off guard." Virgil says in a pained voice, lifting his head to meet their eyes. 

"Let's not focus on the past guys. We all make mistakes. Now, we should discuss what we are going to do." Patton announces confidently to the room.

"Yes, yes of course. You are right." Logan adjusts his tie as if reminding himself to take a logical look on everything.

"I know what we need to do... but you guys won't like it." Virgil starts, brushing his bangs out of his eyes to better see all of them. The way they all stare at him seems to make him nervous.

"We need to go to Deceit's room and confront him." Once the words leave his mouth, all of their expressions seem to darken.

"But none of us have ever been in his room. Where is it?" Roman asks, mostly to Logan who looks like he knows more than he's letting on. Logan notices the way everyone is staring at him expectantly, except for Patton, who seems confident in him.

"Look, all I know is that we need Thomas to take us there. And that there's some trick to it." Logan admits, yet their eyes remain fixed on him.

"What aren't you telling us?" Roman asks, noticing him swallow hard. Tense silence lingers between them all.

"What did Deceit tell you?" Virgil inquires, breaking the silence in a nervous tone.

"After Deceit mimicked Patton, I searched for days looking for him. I never found him or his room, but he found me." Logan recalls, remembering the conflict as clear as day. Patton stares at him with a heartwrenching expression of worry.

Logan breathes deep, closes his eyes and retells them the story.

_ Logan's POV _

_Logan sat at his desk, thinking over Thomas's daily problems that needed mental solving. He was extremely busy that day, having to not only solve mental issues but also plan up a schedule for the next three months. Added to that, in his own off time he searched for Deceit, who he wanted to speak with badly. He didn't really know what he'd say yet, deciding to improvise it when the time came. Logan never said it out loud, but he hated the deceitful side of Thomas. It seemed that his only goal was to cause trouble wherever he went, and that was against all logic._

_Deep in thought, Logan barely looked up when a knock came at the door._

_"Come in, I told you that you didn't need to knock." Logan called out, thinking it was Patton. Patton came around more often than the other sides, usually just to see how he was doing._

_"Very well..." The voice returned. It sounded nothing like the high-pitched sweetness of Patton's voice. It sounded...cunning, insincere and sarcastic. He spun around quickly in his chair as the door creaked open._

_Logan couldn't keep the surprised expression from reaching his face as he saw Deceit standing in his doorway. The side was dressed in his usual dark brown shirt and black cape-let, secured by two golden buttons. His signature black bowler hat sat neatly on his head. His hair was brushed out of his face in such a fashion that you could see both sides of his face clearly, the human side, and the scaled, serpent-like side._

_"So, Logan, I've heard you've been looking for me." Deceit starts, closing the door behind himself, his bright yellow gloves a stark contrast to the plain, white door._

_"Perhaps." Logan replies simply, rising from his chair. Deceit chuckled at his immediate defensiveness._

_"There's no need for any of that, dear friend. May I?" Deceit gestures to the chair across from Logan's desk. Logan hesitantly nods, before taking his own seat once more._

_"You want to ask me questions, do you not? Here I am." He mocked, hands out in a confident expression. Logan cleared his voice nervously, sitting up straight._

_"How am I supposed to know if you're telling the truth?" Logan inquired, watching Deceit's calm, self-assured guise._

_"Well, that's for you to decide, is it not?" Deceit replied in a playful voice, folding one leg over the other. It almost seemed like a game to him, and Logan was just another piece._

_"Very well... Why do you insist on creating chaos wherever you go?" Logan demanded more harshly than he meant to seem. Deceit almost seemed amused by this sudden anger._

_"Chaos? I like to think of it as self-growth and assessment." He teased with a serpentine sneer. Logan composed himself again, not knowing why he wanted to lash out so badly. He was logic. He should be able to have a civil discussion._

_"What are you doing here, Deceit? What is the purpose of your visit today?" Logan saw his expression change slightly, looking more serious._

_"To warn you." Deceit replied, sending a shiver down Logan's back._

_"Is that a threat?" Logan asked simply. Deceit smiled once more, almost like a switch was flipped within him._

_"Of course not! I am just warning you that... some things are best left unknown." Deceit assured him. That made Logan even more curious about the side sitting across from him._

_"And what is this knowledge in relation to?" Logan asked, causing Deceit to raise an eyebrow at him, almost as if to say 'Are you sure you want to know so badly?'. That made him second guess himself._

_"In relation to my room of course. Isn't that what you wanted to know so badly? You understand me and what I symbolize. But my room, on the other hand, you've never even seen. That bothers you, doesn't it?" Deceit seems to read his thoughts like a book. It was true of course. Logan had wanted to confront him for many reasons, but he wanted to see his room. He knew only that it resided in the darkest part of Thomas's mind. Logan wanted to see the darkness truly within Thomas, waiting to be broken out at any moment._

_"Well, hear this, won't you?" Deceit suddenly stood, slamming his hands down on the desk unexpectedly._

_"You can enter my room if you can find it of course, only that all five of you come. But be warned, it comes at a high cost. One that all of you aren't willing to pay. Once you enter my room, nothing will ever be the same again when you leave, that I promise you." Deceit threatened him gently, with a wide sneer. Logan felt words get caught in his throat, and watched in silence as Deceit walked towards the door._

_"Be seeing you soon, dear friend. Sooner than you think..."_

_"Wait!" Logan shouted out unexpectedly, stopping Deceit in his tracks. The side turned around, looking at him with an expression of interest._

_"Never ever mess with any of us again, especially Patton." Logan spat coldly, which caused Deceit's eyebrows to raise in surprise._

_"Is that a threat?" Deceit asked playfully, tilting his head ever so slightly._

_"Of course not...just a warning..." Logan glares deep into Deceit, who chuckles under his breath. Deceit bowed deeply with a mischevious smirk and turned around again._ _And with that, the malevolent side exited his room, leaving more questions than answers behind._

Logan finishes telling the story. Silence hangs around them once more.

"Why didn't you tell us, Logan?" Patton asks in a heartbroken voice. 

"It wouldn't have done any good, Patton. We would all be on edge and jumpy, unable to complete our primary functions."

"We have to remember as well that he's a liar. Maybe he was just screwing with you." Virgil offers. They all ponder that for a moment.

"He is behind this. Either we draw him out, or we go to his room!" Roman declares heroicly, thrusting a fist in the air. They all look at him with hesitant eyes.

"Oh come now! He's not going to have booby-traps. As Virge said, he's a liar!"

"While that may be true, there's still one problem with your plan," Logan says forebodingly.

"We need Thomas to take us there, and he seems to have no intent on fixing himself." They all gaze down the hall at the closed door of Thomas's room.

"Well, then we need to find a way to convince him."

 

Deceit's POV 

Cold. His mind is thinking so simplistically that 'cold' is the only word that comes to mind. It's almost like Deceit's body has fallen back on its primal instinctive nature. He can feel his entire body aching terribly.

He now lays on the floor next to the ice bath he had been for an hour. Lust simply left him there after over half an hour of being in the water, constantly being brought to the point of near suffocation. Deceit didn't know where he had gone, and frankly, he didn't care. In his eyes, he had already lost the war. 

The slight sound of shaky breathing is all he hears, apart from the ringing in his ear that refuses to quit. He had curled in on himself, desperate for warmth. Due to the fact that he is coldblooded, he retains the chill from the bath within his own body temperature, so it nearly feels the same as it did before. What confuses him is that he is literally chilled to the bone, and yet his pain is hot, scalding even. He felt exhausted, but when he tried to sleep, he couldn't. He has a concussion to thank for his insomnia, which is terrible in this situation because the only thing he wants more than warmth is sleep.

 

Deceit lays there for hours on end, allowing his body to take in the temperature from his surroundings. He is still chilled, but not to the point of freezing and unable to move or speak. Unfortunately, his knee is still broken, so it's not like he's going anywhere. He suddenly hears the unlocking and sliding open of the door opening behind him.

Lust appears in the doorway, closing it behind him and relocking the padlock.

"You're looking better." Lust approaches him, kneeling down in front of Deceit. He is disappointed to hear no reply.

"Silent treatment, eh? That's alright, I'll get you talking." Without any further explanation, Lust puts an arm around him and lifts him up quickly, ignoring the pained screaming and swearing from Deceit.

Lust carries his victim to the middle of the room, which has two chains attached to the ceiling. Deceit went strangely quiet as Lust snapped the cold shackles around his wrists, remembering this exact scene from a couple days ago. He also clips the shock collar around him again, just for affirmation that Deceit was telling the truth.

Deceit's arms stay suspended above his head by the chains, keeping him perfectly still, despite the shaking and shivering of his body. His head hangs down, unable to stop from dreading what was to come. He despised being played as the victim, and now he was starting to feel like one too.

Lust stands in front of him, holding a dense, lead pipe.

"Now, let's talk about Logan, shall we?" Lust asks, pressing the end of the black pipe against Deceit, who flinches slightly.

"I've already- said too much." Deceit insists, clenching his chained fists. Logan is one side that Deceit cannot fail, due to the fact that Logan is arguably the only side who keeps things realistic and levelled. His presence helps everyone in the room, and Deceit disliked him for that reason. But still, Logan always intrigued him to a certain degree. With Logan gone, Thomas would fall to his own sides easily before the dark sides showed up.

"What's his weakness?" Lust demands, tilting up his head using the head of the pipe. Deceit remains silent, a subtle clenching of his jaw displaying to Lust that this was going to be harder to get out of him.

Lust swings the pipe hard against his side, forcing an audible moan from him. It is a blunt agony that drilled into his ribs. He feels tears flood his vision immediately.

"Come now, Deceit... just tell me." Lust implores him, a hand cupping his scaled cheek. Deceit loathes how intimate it feels and jerks his head away. Lust snorts in amusement.

"Very well." Lust says, slamming the pipe against his ribs again. This time caused Deceit to cry out, before being silenced by another hit to his other side. 

If Deceit is being completely honest with himself, which is rare, he doesn't actually know Logan's weakness for certain. The others have always been so extreme, yet Logan managed to keep level-headed most of the time. Sometimes, Logan did seem to display a level of emotion. Like frustration, confusion, compassion, impulsion...

His thought process is cut short when the pipe connects with his chest with a harsh level of force. His head is thrown up, a guttural shriek ripping from deep within him. He can feel an intense pressure drilling deep in his ribcage, keeping him from breathing deeply.

Wait, impulsion? That is a trait very rarely displayed by Thomas's logical side. Sure, he may have often been hot-headed, but Deceit had only seen him acting recklessly on one occasion; When he had hunted Deceit down to keep him away from specifically Patton. In that situation, Logan had been driven to mistakes by his recklessness brought upon by his emotions towards Patton. That must mean that--

Dull torment explodes through him like he's never felt before. He could've sworn he heard a crack from within him, and the evident loud screaming supports it. His vision is blurred with tears that roll down his cheeks endlessly. 

"You know how much I love the sound of screaming, but this is excessive." Lust states nonchalantly, quickly gagging him with a dry rag that soaks all of the moisture from his mouth. Lust's eyes reach his upper right side, where there is a drastic protrusion. 

"Well, well, looks like we've broken one of your ribs." Lust's face comes back into his view as his fingers slide up the fracture along his side. A muffled scream gets caught in Deceit's gag as his fingers press against it hard, feeling exactly where the rib had split. His shaking body only worsens the torment shooting up his spine in pulses.

"You want to tell me now?" Lust asks, placing the led in both hands threateningly. Deceit bites down hard on his gag, begging himself to stop sobbing.

"Oh that's right, you can't. Oh well..." Lust shrugs teasingly, watching in pleasure as Deceit pulls desperately at his chains.

Lust slams the pipe into the same side again, definitely shattering one, and cracking multiple others in a cluster. Deceit's chilling cry comes once again, muted partly from the gag. He can't stop the sobs from coming, no matter how much he wanted to silence them.

The pipe attacks his other side, which blazes in fresh agony. Every hit drags a scream from his peeling lips, which remain parted by cloth. Thoughts bombard his head like white noise, meaningless and incomprehensible.

Lust strikes him repeatedly until another crack is heard. The sound alone nearly makes Deceit throw up, never mind the pain of multiple broken ribs overloading his nervous system.

One final impact to both sides of his severely damaged ribcage leaves him as a sobbing, shaking mess. Lust unchains the shackles around his hands, allowing his victim to collapse to the ground with a sharp cry.

He lays flat on his stomach, the tiles pressing too hard against his terribly mutilated sides. He feels Lust's hands on him again, this time rolling him over onto his back. The movement sends a deep, throbbing pang throughout his bones. He tears the gag from Deceit's quivering mouth, instantly releasing a shriek.

"What is Logan's weakness?" Lust repeats harshly. His mind returns to what he was thinking about before; Logan's feelings towards Patton. Why in the world would Logan act so heedlessly because of Patton? He had saught Deceit out and insisted that he never interact with Patton again. That was out of the ordinary, which could only mean one thing. Could Patton himself be Logan's weakness?

Lust sees him thinking deeply, watching the shallow, shaky rise and fall of his chest. He gets impatient and slams a foot down against Deceit's ribs.

"Tell me!" He demands loudly as Deceit screams out in utter agony. He presses down harder, feeling the ribs creak underneath his weight.

_'Don't say it_ ' Deceit urges himself, face wet with constant tears.

_'Don't say it'_ He repeats over and over again, eyes squeezed shut and face frozen in a wounded expression. The ringing in his ears grows louder, and soon enough warm tingling starts crawling up his body from his feet.

" **Tell me!!** "

_'Don't say it'_

_'Don't say it'_

_'Don't say it'_

Three words continue to echo in his head repeatedly as his face relaxes and his eyes softly shut. Lust notices the lack of pain in his face.

"Wake up!" He yells, slapping Deceit, whose eyes fly open but quickly unfocus and close again.

Deceit goes unconscious, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

He had won this round, but the battle wasn't over.

In fact, it was just beginning.

 


	7. Broken? Maybe.

Deceit's POV

Once he opens his eyes, Deceit feels his pain return in waves. He is laying on his back, staring up into a bright overhead light, almost like the one you would see at the dentist. Slowly, he looks to his left and sees that he is in a room he had never seen before. It has the feel of a hospital room, bright white walls enclosing him on all sides. His gaze settles on Rage and Lust, who look like they're in a heated conversation, which he listens in on.

"You do realize he'll be here tonight, right?" Rage urges in a rushed voice.

"I understand that, but I need more time with Deceit! He can't really expect me to able to get all the information in just four days, can he?" Lust replies. 

_'I've only been here for four days?'_ Deceit thinks to himself hopelessly, a feeling of dread leaking deep within him. He tries to keep his breathing subtle, but his ribs sing in agony whenever he breaths at all, no matter how shallow. He held back the desperate whimper rising in his chest, letting it slip quietly as he exhaled. They didn't seem to notice.

"Yes, he does! Want to know why? Because I assured him that we would be able to do this! You've screwed us, Lust." Rage shouts angrily.

"It's not my fault that you made a promise we can't keep." Lust retorts confidently. Deceit winces out of instinct as he hears Rage slam Lust against the wall.

"Yes, it is your fault! If you hadn't let him pass out, we could've gotten a lot more information! Now, we have to show to Pride how much of a failure we've been." Rage growls, sounding more animal than human.

_'Pride. Of_ _course, it's him pulling all the strings.'_ Deceit says to himself, picturing the side from so long ago. He didn't really remember Pride, due to the fact that he was rarely around them all. All he remembered was him always wearing a crown, and that he had treated all of them like less than the dirt beneath his feet. Pride always had a talent in manipulating others, able to play on Rage, Lust, and even Deceit's emotions with no problem at all.

"We have Roman's weakness. That will be enough to convince him." Deceit hears Lust drop to the ground with a groan and the pacing steps of Rage.

"For now, we need to get Deceit ready. Bandage his ribs tight, bruise up his face a little to seem more beaten, and get him dressed. Have him at our dinner table at 7 pm sharp." Rage orders, walking to stand over Deceit, who quickly closes his eyes once more. He can feel his entire body under observation, and he keeps from squirming awkwardly.

Rage slams a fist into his broken ribs, forcing his eyes open with a shriek. Rage's hand clasps over his mouth, watching his eyes fill with tears.

"How long have you been awake?" Rage questions, reading his expressions with ease. The look of shock and doubt gives him all the information he needs.

"Lust, would you kindly give us a moment please?" Rage more orders than asks, keeping a menacing glare on Deceit. He hears Lust exit the room, closing the door behind himself with a giggle.

Without hesitation, Rage grabs him and throws him off the bed, onto the cold floor. He lands on his stomach, throat tight with pain. So tight that the only noise he made was a wheeze as all the air was forced out of his body. Before he can recover, Rage's hands are already on him again, picking him off the floor and slamming him against the wall. He doesn't get a chance to scream before Rage's curled fist connects with his face repeatedly. Absorbed in his own trauma, Deceit could do nothing as the feeling of knuckles beating into his cheek overwhelmed him.

He slides down the wall when Rage drops him, vision fuzzy and head filled with meaningless noise. A deep heat burns beneath the human side of his face. Deceit should feel lucky since Rage hadn't broken his nose. He lifts his head, leaning the back of his skull against the wall as he stares up at Rage. Rage is observing his face with a content smirk.

"Lust, get in here and get him ready. Don't worry about the bruising, I've taken care of it." Rage winks at Deceit, who winces as he holds his own cold hand against the heat of his face. Lust enters once more, allowing Rage to pass by him.

"Bummer, I wanted to do that part..." Lust mocks, standing over Deceit and brushing his prisoner's bangs out of his face to get a good look at the bruising. He laughs when Deceit yanks away from him, immediately crying out in pain as his ribs pound in the effort of moving. Lust slips his arms under Deceit's and lifts him up, sitting him up on the bed again. 

Lust looks away for a moment, reaching for the gauze beside the bed. Deceit's eyes find a scalpel right next to him and he quickly lunges for it, not thinking it through. His hands nearly reach it when Lust elbows him hard in the side, stunning him and allowing Lust to grab both of his wrists easily. Lust cuffs them together and connects it to a bar on the ceiling, leaving him full access to Deceit's torso.

"That was incredibly stupid of you." Lust comments with a chuckle as he grabs the bandages. Deceit feels a sudden rush of adrenaline, remembering this exact scenario when Lust had broken multiple of his ribs. His vision blurs, and for a moment he is back in that room, watching as the pipe swings into his side. A sharp pain stabs into him, bringing him back into reality where Lust begins to wrap it around his ribs.

"I bet- you're en-enjoying this aren't you, you fre-freak." Deceit spits through quick, flat breathing. 

"Why yes, yes I am." Lust retorts with a smile, pulling the gauze painfully tight. Deceit swears loudly, breathing coming to him with even more difficulty. Lust shakes his head in parental disappointment, grabbing a roll of duct tape.

"Don't- don't you  **dare**." Deceit threatens, face burning with humiliation. Lust rips off a strip and slaps it against his mouth, and continues to press down all the edges to ensure that he remains entirely mute.

"That's enough out of you." He states, watching as the pupil in his yellow snake eye shrinks in a predatory mannerism.

Lust continues wrapping the gauze around his torso, every rotation ending with a tug to ensure the absolute tightest it could be. Every time that tug came brought a muffled groan from Deceit, feeling his broken ribs being pushed harder within him. The sensation brought tears, which he quickly blinked away.

"Perfect..." Lust states after he clips on a metal clip to keep it from unravelling, and stands back to look at it. All of his ribs felt incredible pressure, almost like they were rubbing against each other every time he breathed.

"Now, where are your clothes?" He looks around the room and spots them in the corner, along with his bowler hat. Lust carries them and places it beside him.

"Personally, I would let you go shirtless to show him all of your beautiful bruising and scarring, but he insisted you be dressed." Lust says, rolling his eyes in a sarcastic way. Lust reaches up to his hands and un-cuffs them. Deceit immediately reaches for the duct tape on his mouth but feels Lust's hands quickly grab both wrists and force them down.

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be." Lust threatens, staring deep into Deceit's blazing, yet watery eyes. Slowly, Lust releases his hands and reaches for his dark purple shirt. Surprisingly, Deceit does obey this order. 

_'What the hell am I doing? Fight back.'_ Deceit urges himself, yet nothing responds. He feels trapped in his own body, yet he knows that consciously he is making the decision to obey.

_'What's the point in prolonging the torture?'_ His other voice says to him. The voice that is drenched in the blood and tears that Lust and Rage have forced out of him. 

_'The point? The point is to not let them humiliate you! Don't let them break you!'_ His fists clench, ready to act.

_'It's too late for that. They've chained you up, beaten you down and whipped every inch of you. Face it, you're already broken.'_ The memories bring harsh reality back into view. The voice was right, they had already humiliated him. He gives into the submissive voice, sitting still and allowing Lust to do whatever he wanted.

Lust slips the shirt over his head, helping him get his arms through faster. His face is bright red with shame. He can't even dress himself anymore, due to how bad the agony was whenever he moved. He literally  _needed_ his captor's help.

"Good boy..." Lust coos, wrapping his capelet around his shoulders and buttoning it. Once those words left Lust's mouth, Deceit realizes that he truly was broken. If that was said four days ago, he would've lashed out, but now? Knowing the consequences, he can't bring himself to do anything. And that hurt far more than broken ribs, whipping, and beating combined.

Lust stands him up onto one leg, the other one barely touching the floor thanks to his broken kneecap. He forces Deceit to step into his black dress pants and pulls them up for him. After slipping on his black shoes, Lust puts his bowler hat on his head neatly but frowns at the appearance of him. He swipes it off his head again, placing it to the side and grabbing a comb from a cupboard.

Lust reaches for his face and stops when Deceit jerks away.

"Keep still." Lust snarls, grabbing his jaw once more and forcing the brush through his messy, dark hair. Shame burns in his face, refusing to look into Lust's eyes. The comb goes through surprisingly gently, considering how Lust treated him up to this point.

Lust tilts his head in the light, making sure it was perfect. When he is satisfied, Lust places his black bowler hat onto his head once more with a proud smirk.

"Put your gloves on." He orders, walking to the door. Deceit looks to his left and sees his yellow gloves laying beside him.

He finds himself in a strange trance, staring at the gloves he wore all the time.

_"Nice gloves, did you just finish washing some dishes?"_ Virgil's voice says as the memory plays.

_"....Yes."_ His own voice replies sarcastically, picturing that devilish smile he gave people when he was toying with them. 

Deceit loved those moments, moments in which he was the clear villain he was created to be. Moments when he was playing them all like fools. Would moments like that ever come again? He finds himself wondering if he would even be the same person _if_ he ever managed to escape.

"Hey! Hurry up!" Lust shouts unexpectedly, startling Deceit, who quickly puts the gloves on in a haste. Lust glances at the clock on the wall, which read '6:24'. He pulls Deceit up again and shoves him towards the door. Seems like Lust was back to his abusive personality due to the overly harsh action.

Deceit finds himself leaning against the door, knee unable to support his weight.

"For God's sake." Lust says out of frustration, wrapping an arm around him and opening the door.

"I regret breaking that knee of yours." Lust states, basically carrying him out of the room and into the hall. They reach the living room again. This time, instead of going down the stairs to the torture chamber, Lust carries him straight and to the right.

The room they enter is well lit, a long, elegant table in the center. Four matching chairs surround the table, which has golden candlesticks lining the middle. Fine silverware is set in front of every chair, except for one. Instead of a plate, it has a pair of shackles drilled into the table.

_'I wonder who that's for.'_ Deceit thinks to himself helplessly. Lust drags him over to the special place, sitting him down roughly in the chair. Deceit has to sit up straight, as slouching over sends an explosion of torturous pulses across his chest cavity. Even sitting up straight, the pain was still close to unbearable. He would have said something snarky, but the duct-tape remains secure across his lips. As Lust shackles his wrists into the chains, he looks to his right to see Rage staring at him with a look of scornfulness. Lust takes his seat across from Rage.

"Nice job." Rage observes his well-combed hair and smirks at the brilliant shades of deep reds, purples, and blues from the bruises that stood out from his overly pale complexion. Deceit struggles in his restraints, seeing if they were loose enough to slip through, or maybe weak enough to break. They aren't of course, just as durable as every other pair of chains. He finds his back becoming sore from being so rigid and slouches slightly. He whimpers slightly, pulling himself back up in a panic when the agony doubles. Deceit glares at the other two sides, who laugh at him.

"Breaking the ribs was a nice touch." Rage compliments, noticing that his stiff posture was forced due to the torment in his sides.

"Yes, it usually is. It leaves the victim to your complete control, as they can't do much to defend themselves with broken ribs." Lust observes his work in pride, crossing his arms assuringly.

"That is clever. What do you plan on doing next?" Deceit shuts his eyes tightly, wishing he could plug his ears. He didn't want to hear what demented things were coming next.

"Maybe dislocate a shoulder? I was also thinking about branding him somewhere on his arms or hands, just as a constant reminder." Lust describes, watching intently as Deceit pulls hard against his restraints repeatedly in a fruitless effort. 

They all go silent as a distant door opens and closes. Deceit listens closely as footsteps approach from down the hall. All of them hold their breath in anticipation.

"Greetings everyone. It's been a while, hasn't it?" A regal-sounding voice announces. Deceit finds himself hoping that Roman appears in the doorway.

The side that enters has blondish hair and wears a nice purple suit with a red, king-like cape around his broad shoulders. His smug smirk has rosy lips, amplifying his dark eyes and tanned skin. A golden crown sits proudly on his neat hair, tilted to the side in a playful way. Beautiful rubies, sapphires, emeralds, amethysts, and diamonds are encrusted into every part of his crown, leaving it a wonderous display to anyone who laid eyes on it.

The side that entered was undoubtedly Pride. 


	8. A Deal With The Devil-ish King

Deceit's POV

Pride slips elegantly into his seat, his bright eyes meeting Deceits from across the table.

"Well Deceit, I must admit, you've looked better in the past." Pride jokes, folding his arms neatly on the table in front of him. He so badly wants to tell Pride off, but the duct tape keeps him quiet. Maybe that's for the best, as he cannot blow all his chances at survival.

"Shall we discuss business?" Rage offers, reaching to the table behind him and grabbing a bottle of wine. Rage pours the dark red liquid into his own wine glass before passing it to Lust. Lust does the same and places it in front of Pride, who just stares at it, hands remaining folded.

"Oh...Right." Lust suddenly says, gripping the bottle once more and pouring Pride's drink for him.

_'He doesn't even pour his own wine?'_ Deceit thinks to himself bitterly, his eyes remaining fixed on Pride as he takes a swig.

"Eugh, yes, lets." Pride mutters, face convulsed in disgust as he pushes the wine away from himself. Rage seems annoyed, but he stays quiet.

"So, we have thought of a plan that we would like your help in." Rage informs subtly.

"Why is he sitting like that?" Pride ignores Rage, noticing the soldier-like seated stance Deceit has adopted. 

"Broken ribs." Lust says simply with a stupid smirk, taking satisfaction from his work. Deceit squirms uncomfortably, twisting his wrists subtly.

"Anyways... shall we return to--" Rage begins to say with a look of annoyance.

"Ah yes, your plan. Please, you have the floor." Pride declares, insinuating that Rage needed his permission to talk. A flicker of wit is found in Deceit's eyes as Rage gives a quiet exhale out of anger.

"Now, we have a master plan to unravel Thomas's sides and take over. We plan to use their secrets, provided by Deceit, to play them into defeat and take control of Thomas back." A twinge of madness lingers in Rage's voice as he pictures it in his head.

"I see. What has 'it' told you so far?" Pride gestures to Deceit, who feels the sudden urge to reach across the table and strangle 'his majesty'. He sees Lust flash him a warning glare, noticing the way Deceit's facial muscles fluttered every so slightly in a look of revulsion.

"Why don't you let him know, Lust?" Rage offers with an evil smile, knowing that most likely, Pride wouldn't be happy with their slow progress.

"Well, erm, we've gotten Roman's weakness out of him." Lust admits submissively, his voice dropping in volume. Pride waits for another name, and when one doesn't come, he sits up straighter.

"You've only beaten one thing out of him? How long has he been here?" Pride demands with a voice of jurisdiction.

"Four days." 

"Four days. Four days, and you only managed to get  _Roman's._ You mustn't be serious" Lust avoids his regal glare with a look of shame. Deceit would be lying if he told himself that he wasn't enjoying this.

"He's tougher than he looks, believe me." Pride scoffs sarcastically.

"Is that so? From over here, he looks just like the weak little child we used to lock in the basement and push down the stairs." 

Deceit's fists slam against the table, staring ahead of him with a murderous expression. His patience finally wore off for Pride, and he had been here for less than ten minutes.

_'Oh, you want to see what you turned that child into? Why don't you come over here, and I'll show you **exactly** what your careless abuse created.'_ 

Deceit feels a sharp agony burst deep in his knee as someone kicks him exactly where it fractured. He makes no noise, yet shuts his eyes tight in an expression of pain. When he looks up again at Lust, his eyes are watery and flared with wrath.

"No please, let him speak. Surely, you must have something to say in the matter." Pride smiles mischievously, watching Deceit's eyes dart over to him.

"As I said, he's not entirely conditioned. This may be a bad idea and set us further back--" Lust begins to warn.

"Take the tape off." Pride orders Lust, who reluctantly obeys after a few seconds of silent hesitation. Once the tape is finally taken from his mouth, a groan of pain comes from his lips.

"If-If you  _ever_ do that again, it w-will be the  _last_ thing you do." Deceit hisses at Lust firstly, his own voice sounding strange since he hasn't used it all day.

"Secondly, if you think I will s-say anything to benefit that  _pompous_ moron, think again." Talking hurts his chest more, due to the more oxegyn needed to say the words. It was so worth it, or at least Deceit thinks it is in the moment.

"Also, who was- it who escaped right f-from underneath all of your- noses, and hid in pla-plain sight for  _years?_ Oh yes, that's right, it was  **me**. You were ju-just too stupid and self-absorbed to not-notice." Deceit seethes, baring his teeth to Pride in a twisted manner.

"You  _shut it_ before I hurt you _badly_." Rage growls to him. Deceit is blowing their chance at getting Pride on board, which is exactly what he's trying to do.

"Hey Pride, I think you-you should know that I nearly escaped on my sec-second day, thanks to Rage over here." Deceit says with a troublesome grin, pointing at Rage who looked ready to tear his inmate apart.

"Is that so?" Pride looks to Rage, whose veins have spread further and eyes have gone dark with murderous intent.

"Oh, and did I tell you that Lust let me pass ou-out for hours, wasting precious time h-h-he could've used to get information for you?" Deceit felt his natural impish nature rise in his chest. It felt good to do some of the toying with people, especially those who hurt him terribly.

"No you didn't, and neither did Lust..." Pride's gaze goes to Lust's red face. Deceit couldn't decide if it was red with anger or embarrassment. He hopes it is both.

"You see, if I were you, I would---" A bloodcurdling holler comes from Deceit as Rage mercilessly stabs a steak knife through his palm without warning. Pride watches the situation unfold, amusement dancing in his pupils.

Lust slaps the tape over Deceit's mouth again, cutting his loud screaming short. Muffled groaning comes from him, as he stares at the knife protruding from his hand with wide, teary eyes. He suddenly felt sick, a horrible sharp stinging emanating from the center of his yellow gloves, which are slowly turning red due to the blood seeping through the fabric. Tears leak from his eyes like a broken faucet.

"Now, where were we?" Rage states nonchalantly, turning back to Pride.

"I must admit, that was an incredibly delightful experience. But about what he was saying..." Pride starts, watching as Deceit shudders with torment, his expression still petrified from the shock.

"Beleive me, we are very close to  _breaking_ this meaningless nuisance here. Besides, we already know one, and using Romans, we can completely untangle the others." Rage promises. A puddle of his dark blood has pooled on the table, showing the reflection of the candlelight perfectly.

"What is Roman's?"

"Honour, according to my dear friend over here."

"And how could we use that against him?" Rage's sneer meets his face again.

"With your help, we could intensify his sense of honour. We would be able to use him in whatever way we saw fit, just by twisting it in a certain light. Like if we wanted Roman to convince Thomas to ignore Virgil, we would simply make Virgil look like the bad guy standing in the way of his dreams. With your certain manipulative talents, we could easily have control." He explains. Deceit swallows hard. Pride's involvement in this whole scenario is bigger than he imagined it being, and Rage is right. Pride can easily manipulate any of the sides if he wanted to, which he often did.

Pride thinks on it for a moment, his observant gaze falling on all of them.

"Fine, I will assist you, under one condition..." Pride announces dramatically, standing up from his seat.

"I run the operation. You both obey me completely." Rage and Lust look to each other with bewildered looks, weighing the pros and cons silently.

"Take it or leave it." Deceit watches in silence, hand still pulsing scaldingly. His heart beats fast, almost feeling like every time it beats, it presses against his aching ribs which seem to protest by sending these horrid shocks up his spine.

Lust and Rage nod to each other before standing as well.

"We agree to your terms." Rage declares for them both, holding out a hand for Pride to shake.

"Then it's a deal." Pride shakes hands with them both, sealing their pact.

As if a switch flips, all of their eyes flick to Deceit. Pride smiles at his new prisoner, who he now owned.

"Now, what to do with you..." 


	9. Massive Defeats

Deceit's POV

After Pride took over, things got worse for Deceit.

He was strapped down on a cold, steel table, looking up at the huge light above him. He's back in Lust's torture chamber, despite his very best efforts to stay out. In the end, his resistance merely caused more pain, especially when Rage got tired of fighting with him and just hit him hard in the ribs with a crowbar. The impact caused him to immediately drop to the ground screaming underneath the duct tape, allowing them to easily drag him in.

And here he lays while Lust walks around the table, getting everything set. He rips the tape off of Deceit's mouth. To Lust's surprise, Deceit makes no noise at all. He simply stares off in another direction angrily, like a toddler throwing a fit and giving their parents the silent treatment. Cold hands come around his throat as Lust adjusts his shock collar.

They, of course, took his clothes again, leaving him only wearing his black shorts. His fever has gone significantly down, yet every other injury just worsened as time went by.

"Open your mouth, Darling." Lust obeys, standing over his head with a stupid smile.

" _Make me._ " Deceit snarls, refusing to cooperate, especially after Lust had put him through all of that humiliation. Lust shakes his head in annoyance before slamming a fist against his ribs. Deceit shrieks of course, and while his mouth is open, Lust shoves a hard leather strip between his teeth. His teeth meet the strip in confusion, tasting the unique earthy flavour. Lust proceeds to stick these weird stickers on his temples. At first, Deceit thought it was some sort of disinfectant for a terrible needle.

"Now, you may want to keep that in your mouth, because this next part is going to hurt  _really really_ bad." Deceit hears a beep of a machine, and suddenly it all clicks. The things stuck to his temples weren't stickers, they were electrodes. Lust was going to give him electroshock therapy  _without_ anesthesia.

"Wai----" Deceit begins to say through the tough leather, before Lust flips a switch, administering a violent current of electricity through his body. Deceit bites down hard on the leather, almost hard enough to break his teeth. A loud, spine-chilling shriek rips through his throat, muscles contracting terribly. The pain in his already broken ribs is unbearable as his muscles further shatter the healing bones. This was a lot more than his shock collar did. Compared to this, his shock collar may as well be a ticklish feeling. No, this was different, as if someone had run live wires through his body, as opposed to veins, and flipped the switch without a second thought. Or, like someone coating his insides in oil and throwing a match down his throat, igniting a fire that was currently burning him alive from the inside-out.

Then it was over. The burning subsided, leaving only the ache in his jaw, and terrible flesh-rending pain that tore into his ribs like a wild animal. It takes him a couple of seconds to realize that tears are literally streaming down his face, but that's the least of his worries.

Lust appears over him again, goldish eyes examining his body before reaching his eyes. He takes the leather out of his mouth, releasing a major strain on the muscles in his face.

"So, do you want to tell me Logan's weakness?" He can see the terror in Deceit's bloodshot eyes at the thought of another round.

"I--c-can't--" Lust sighs, shoving the leather between his teeth once more. Deceit's desperate screams fall on his uncaring ears as he holds the switch.  
"Here's the thing, Deceit. You've embarrassed me in front of Pride, and frankly enough, I'm a little scared of what he might think if I don't get this information from you." He flips the switch, watching as Deceit's entire body pulls up desperately from the table, convulsing in a seizure-like manner. A sound of screaming mixed with crying fills the room. 

The switch comes off once more. 

"How about now?" Lust asks, appearing over him. The only sound that comes from Deceit is muffled crying from the amount of agony that is being forced through his body. He's feeling so many emotions; Anger, sadness, terror, despair, guilt etc.. that he doesn't know which one to rely on. His mind is telling him twenty different things to do; Run, hide, scream for help, tell him, swear at him, beg him to stop, try to manipulate him, the list goes on and on. There are so many answers that overwhelm him, that he can't manage any other sound than the forlorn crying of a doomed man. The leather finds its way back in his mouth quickly.

The switch is flipped again, resuming his hellish experience. It's too much, he can't even think as the electricity floods him relentlessly. His throat is raw and stinging as an endless scream tries to desperately force its way through the dense strip. He can feel pieces of his ribs rupturing under the extreme pressure being forced on them by the muscles in his chest.

It stops, yet his scream continues on until all the breath is drained from his lungs.

"Now?" Lust inquires, removing his bit.

"Pl-plea-please--no-n-no mor-more" Deceit begs him, voice shaky and tender. When he talks it feels like someone has skinned the inside of his throat and stripped his vocal cords, due to his uncontrollable screaming.

Lust walks away laughing at him. He would be embarrassed, but all he wants at this moment is for the pain to stop. Nothing else. He would give anything for this torture to stop. He doesn't get a chance to express this before the taste of leather greets him.

Power rips through his insides again without much warning. The metallic taste of blood enters his mouth, almost certainly due to the condition of his throat.

It's off again before he knows it, yet the pain lingering is almost just as bad.

"Logan's weakness. Now." Lust demands, ripping the leather violently from him. He simply bursts into incessant crying, dreading the electrocution that has yet to come. The belt of hide meets him again, which doesn't stop his wailing.

His wailing turns to screaming with the flip of Lust's switch. He leaves it on for significantly longer this time before turning it off.

"Tell me Deceit. Tell me Logan's weakness." Lust orders, hands slamming down on the metal table. No words come from Deceit, only a twisted howling, filled with sobbing. He feels the leather press against his teeth, and his heart leaps into his throat in a panic.

"It-It-s" He stutters, face pale and drenched in sweat as he stares up at Lust.

"Pa--Patt-Patton-!" Deceit yells out, barely registering what he was saying. Surprised, Lust takes the leather away from him.

"Repeat what you just said!" Lust screams, watching his prisoner squirm from underneath his piercing stare.

"Loga-Logan's weakness i-is Pa-Patton!" Deceit repeats before he can stop himself. Lust watches his shock collar intently and feels a rush when it blinks green, conveying that what he said was true.

"Very good..." Lust's fingers run through his dishevelled hair in a humiliating fashion. Deceit's breath turns into choppy sobbing as Lust takes off his restraints and drops him on the ground.

He watches as Lust leaves the room, eager to tell Pride and Rage the good news. He had gotten the pain to stop,  ~~but at what cost?~~

Deceit lays there for a while, motionless, except for the shaking of his chest when he sobs. He couldn't control it, and every time it happened, his chest would pound in torture.

His eyes squeeze shut. He has failed them yet again. Because of him, the dark sides are one step closer to controlling Thomas. Because of him, Logan and Roman can now be manipulated to Pride's every whim.

Deceit was their final defence and their undoing.

And that thought alone is  **killing** him.

 


	10. Scheming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in this chapter! Had a busy weekend with work!  
> Planning to update tomorrow aswell, hope you enjoy!

Deceit's POV

Rage, Lust, and Pride sit around him in their velvet chairs, discussing their plans with him. He kneels before them, chained to the pole in the room. Deceit is still visibly shaken up from the electroshock therapy, acting fidgety and nervous. He tunes into their conversation at an unfortunate time.

"I could brand him." Lust offers, pointing to the fire behind him.

"Or, I can break all of his fingers." He continues on with a sadistic smile. The other two stare at him as he rambles on and on.

"Maybe burning? Or isolation in a tiny space... or--"

"I think you're enjoying this too much." Rage mocks him with a grin. Lust stays silent, looking off in a random direction.

"I don't know about that, Rage. I mean, he's already made more progress than you have." Pride retorts in an unimpressed voice. Rage opens his mouth to yell back but quickly shuts it. He clenches his teeth in frustration, staring deeply into Deceit's eyes as if it was his fault. Deceit swallows hard, knowing that he would be punished later.

Pride and Lust go on to discuss torture methods in great detail. Deceit finds himself stuck in his own head, thoughts running rapidly. Trying to pick one to think about was like trying to pick out a singular snowflake in a blizzard. He's angry with himself for giving Logan up, but really, what else could he have done? 

Deceit goes down this train of thought, trying to justify what he had done yesterday.

_'It's Logan's own fault for getting so attached to Patton.'_ He reasons, adjusting his weight ever so slightly as to not irritate his ribs. He sucks air through his teeth quickly, face stuck in a grimace.

His thoughts take an unexpected turn, venturing down a darker path.

_'How long will I be here for? How long has it been?'_ The weight of an unknowable future settles heavily on him.

_'I should just give them what they want. It's already too late to salvage anything.'_ His mind jumps from topic to topic, unable to stay on one for very long. 

_'Maybe you deserve all of the torture if you're really considering surrendering to them.'_ Another voice retorts, filling him with a pang of terrible guilt. He wonders for a moment what Logan, Patton, Roman, and Virgil would say once they figured out it was him who betrayed them. They most likely wouldn't be surprised, they already thought he was the worst of Thomas. 

_'No, they would be surprised to find out how incredibly weak and pathetic you are.'_ Deceit shrinks down at those words, picturing their pity-filled faces as they stare down at the wretch he had become.

_'You are even less than what they thought of you. The powerful, mysterious Deceit is nothing more than a snake trapped in the clutches of an eagle.'_ He tries to clear these thoughts, but they seem endless. 

_'You can't even save yourself, how do you expect to save anyone else?'_ Deceit pictures all of the torture he's gone through, from whipping to electrocution. He had tried so hard to get virtually nowhere. He had risked it all for the sides that never cared about him. None of them, not even Patton, could stand being around him. He was 'the other' in their eyes. He was the villain in their story, and yet he has endured so much to save the heroes that he constantly tried to beat.

He's not a good person. He's a dark side. A side that constantly tries to make Thomas lie and hide from the truth. There is nothing in his entire being that is good.

But the fact that he's so willing to give up his values to save himself proves something entirely different. It proves he's a  **coward**.

"What do you think, darling?" Lust's voice suddenly cuts through his train of thought, jerking him harshly back into the reality he wasn't prepared to enter.

"I don't think he was listening." Pride states, rising from his chair and tilting Deceit's head up with one perfectly manicured hand.

"You've really done a number on him." Pride observes his despondent eyes and feverish sweat.

"What do you think of a brand on your wrist, hmm?" Pride asks, talking to him in a slow, humiliating tone. Deceit doesn't answer, simply staring up at him with his chin held high.

Pride suddenly backhands him and gets dangerously close to his prisoner, pressing a thin blade to Deceit's pale neck. 

"I said..." Deceit feels the blade bite into his skin, causing him to draw a quick breath. He holds his head up, attempting to get as far away from the knife as possible. Even though a part of him wants the suffering to end, a bigger part of him lives to survive.

"What do you think of a nice, hot brand pressed into your skin?" Pride repeats with a malicious undertone in his sweet voice. Deceit finds himself smirking involuntarily. He knows that Pride won't kill him, as the death of a side can cause the entirety of a person to crumble. So, he remains completely silent, basking in the quiet frustration of his captor. He wasn't going to give Pride the satisfaction of an answer, even if it kills him. Pride laughs under his breath.

"Lust, take this  _creature_ out of my sight." Pride orders, finally removing the blade from Deceit's throat. He can feel blood slide down his trachea. Lust unchains him and lifts him up, snickering as a slight whimper comes from Deceit. His knee aches in protest as he is forced to put more weight on it. They start towards the door.

"Oh, and one more thing." Pride calls after them.

"Either you come back with all the information I need, or you both don't come back  **at all**." He feels Lust's aura change from confident to uneasy in a matter of seconds.

"I'll have him singing within the hour." Lust replies with false-confidence.

They both turn and descend into the basement, both thinking of their uncertain future.

 

Virgil's POV

Thomas has been avoiding his sides for a couple of days now. Every time one of them showed up, he slipped on headphones to block them out, or just walked out of the room. Virgil even tried to pressure him into talking with them by heightening his anxiety, but it seemed to have no effect. Virgil would be lying if he said he wasn't worried about the whole ordeal.

The four sides sit at their dining room table, avoiding each other's gaze. They all felt...different. Patton was always lonely and down, insisting to spend the last couple days with Logan. Logan was distracted and kept making the simplest mistakes, which he never did. Roman was being overly dramatic and quick to anger. And Virgil, well, he spent every minute in his room. He didn't want to go outside. He didn't want to see anyone. He just wanted to lay in bed and never get up.

This whole Deceit situation seemed to be taking an enormous toll on all of them, which hindered their abilities to help Thomas. They had wasted days fretting over it all instead of making progress with Thomas.

"Can we all just stop pretending like nothing is wrong?" Virgil suddenly shouts out to the group, slamming both hands down on the table. Everyone jerks their heads up, startled looks falling on Virgil's face.

"Look, we're all not doing well, okay? We know who is causing this problem, so why aren't we doing anything about it?" He declares angrily.

"What can we do, Virgil? We need Thomas to go to Deceit, and he refuses to participate." Logan says, adjusting his crooked tie. It had been crooked all day, how did he not notice? Virgil watches Logan gulp nervously.

"Then we need to make him go! We need to try at least because sitting around mopping isn't helping." Virgil's outburst seems to inspire Roman, who jolts up like he suddenly got an idea.

"Dreams." Roman says simply, staring at everyone with hopeful eyes. They all look back at him with confused, puzzled expressions.

"We can control Thomas's dreams, correct?" Logan nods in affirmation.

"What if we could show him what he will turn into? We could scare him into helping himself!" Roman stands up in a heroic gesture.

"Could...could that work?" Patton asks, looking to Logan for confirmation.

"In theory...it could work. If we all did our parts, we could accomplish it." Logan assures, which seems to relax Patton. Silence lingers between them all.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" Roman yells excitedly, before dashing off towards his room. Logan, Patton, and Virgil all glance at one another before jumping to their feet and running after Roman.

 

 


	11. Guilty Without Trial

Deceit's POV

Glowing hot shackles clamp around Deceit's wrists after being kept in a blazing furnace for ten minutes. He screams roughly, eyes shut tightly as he feels the scalding metal burns into his skin. He tries to pull his wrists away, but Lust keeps them clamped near him with his wrench-like device. The steel remains fixed, and Deceit can clearly hear the sound of his own flesh sizzling under the heat. The smell of burnt skin and hair reaches him remorselessly. Lust's mouth is moving, but Deceit can't hear his words over the sound of his own screaming, which he heard so often lately that it became white noise to him.

Finally, Lust unclamps his device from Deceit, who stares down at the horrid burns left behind. They dug in deeply to his wrists, leaving his skin pigmented with reds, oranges, and browns.

When Lust said he was going to brand him, Deceit never would've guessed this. This wasn't a label on him, more like a permanent copy of his shackles, so that he would never forget his time with them. He certainly wasn't going to forget this past week, no matter how hard he tried. That is if he ever gets out of here, which isn't looking good.

He sits motionless there for a couple of minutes, unable to tear his eyes away from the brands. Deceit wasn't screaming anymore, in fact, he was making no noise at all. Just staring down at himself in a silent terror, mouth opened in a soundless howling. His ribs are bruised terribly, coloured brightly with shades of a sunset. His veins are burned a deep red and can be seen through the skin, most likely due to the electrocution he endured.

"Man, you're no fun to play with anymore." Lust says, coming up behind him. Lust slides his warm hand down the scaled part of Deceit's face. Deceit subtly flinches and closes his eyes, just wishing for it all to end. Quiet moans of torment come from him, tears squeezing themselves through his tightly shut eyelids as he feels the burning go deeper into his tissue. He finds himself disappointed when he opens his eyes again to realize that he was still conscious. Lust sighs deeply from over his shoulder.

"You always have to do things the hard way, don't you?" Deceit feels Lust shove him off the chair, landing on the ground with a low whine.

"Get up and fight me." Lust demands, delivering a kick to his side. He yelps at the strike, staring up at his attacker with a confused, hurt look.

"I'm sorry, did you mishear me? I said  _get up!_ " Lust thrusts his foot between Deceit's shattered ribs, sending a dull agony across his entire torso. Deceit pushes himself onto all fours and tries to get up, legs shaking with effort. He hasn't stood up by himself in days. He can feel his fractured knee creaking under the pressure, threatening to give out completely. Once his hands leave the floor for support, his legs give out and he falls back onto his knees. Deceit hollers as his knee meets the unforgiving concrete. It must have pinched a nerve, judging by the pins and needles that covered that area immediately afterwards.

He glances up at Lust, who without hesitation clocks him in the jaw as their eyes meet. He's back on all four suddenly, that faint ringing in his ear returning from the sudden blow.

Lust squats in front of him, tilting his head mockingly.

"Listen here, love. I'm really tired of your attitude lately, so if you don't start obeying me, I'm going to beat it out of you. Got it?" Lust threatens in a strange parental tone. Deceit can feel involuntary sobs building in his throat as he stares down at the ground.

"Keeping that in mind, let's try this again, shall we?" Lust stands once more, arms crossed expectantly.

" **Get up.** "

 

Logan's POV

Thomas's chest rises and falls with ease, deep in slumber. The four sides stand around his bed, looking down at him with a spark of hope in their eyes. Logan would be the first to admit that he wasn't sure this was going to work, as dreams are incredibly hard to manifest into certain beings. Relating it to real life was even more difficult, but he knew that none of them were going to let that get in their way. if this was the only way to get Thomas to take them to Deceit, then so be it.

"Okay, is everyone ready?" Roman calls out to the group with a noble stare.

"Yes." Logan replies as emotionlessly and confidently as possible, hoping that it could offer some comfort to both Patton and Virgil. It seems to do some good, as Patton's eyes immediately fill with inspiration and care.

"Yes." Patton repeats, wide, hopeful eyes meeting Logan's. He seems unable to tear his gaze away from Patton's warm brown gaze. They both look away flustered, but Logan had no idea why he was so embarrassed.

"I guess..." Virgil adds in, hands in his pockets to hide how much they were shaking. They only had one shot at this. If they screwed this up now, Thomas would realize what they were doing and shut it down immediately.

Roman takes a breath and places his pristine hands on Thomas's arm. Logan does the same, his hands meeting Thomas's other arm gently. Patton follows Logan's example, and so does Virgil.

They all close their eyes and pour everything negative they have into Thomas.

Roman uses the memories of Thomas's exes, bringing their faces into the fold of emotions. He finds it extremely difficult to keep himself focused on something he found so saddening. Roman can feel his lips quivering, his eyes watering, as those many faces flash through his head. He makes sure to plant the reminders of why they had all broken up with him, because of the darkness in him. Roman hated thinking about those times in which Thomas had lost control of all emotion. When he had lost a grasp on his anger. That had caused many relationships to end terribly, and Roman pours that into Thomas as he dreams.

Logan remembers the times when Thomas had been lying to himself or to others and caused them harm. At these times, he had focused so hard on what he wanted to be true, that eventually he really did believe it. Thomas frequently used logic to twist fact into falsehood, and it was honestly one of Thomas's major weaknesses. The things that Deceit hides from him is crucial information, which he has the right to know. Many situations in Thomas's life have turned out wrong due to this tampering with his beliefs at Deceit's hands.

Virgil tries to focus on when Thomas let his want of certain things drown out his instincts. In these instances, Virgil was completely ignored. If Thomas had just taken a moment to listen to what he was saying instead of charging headfirst into what he wanted so badly, he wouldn't have gotten hurt as much as he has. In these moments, Virgil felt useless. Like he couldn't do anything right. Like there was no reason in going on. He found that his depression spiked at these times.

Patton's thoughts immediately go to the instances in which his blind faith and esteem in Thomas led to him unintentionally misleading Thomas. He had never meant to, it's just that he only saw the good in Thomas. It's not that Thomas was overly prideful. Only that Patton couldn't see the darker parts of Thomas, and that had countlessly led to Patton overjustifying his mistakes. He never learned to accept the mistakes Thomas made, and instead coated it with icing and sprinkles, hiding the truth from Thomas.

They keep like this for five minutes. Logan notices that Thomas is now shivering, and his feet kick out defensively every once and a while. Soon enough, they all let go of Thomas as he begins to flail in a blind-panic as his nightmare develops within his mind vividly. He whines, face stuck in an expression of disbelief and fear.

Thomas inhales sharply as he sits up suddenly, eyes opening wide to find all four of his sides by his bed.

 

Deceit's POV

Lust kicks him back down onto his stomach as he rises to his knees. He's laughing as he walks around Deceit in a circle, watching him try to get up repeatedly, only to fall back down. To Lust's surprise and disappointment, eventually, Deceit just lays on the ground, body shuddering as he sobs silently to himself.

"Excuse me, did I tell you to stop?" Lust's voice closes in on him. He has a strong urge to crawl in on himself, but his tender, agonizing ribs keep him from doing anything. He simply lays there, feeling a constant burn gnawing into his wrists like a wolf to a carcass.

"I-can't." Deceit mutters under his breath, hands clenched into fists as he feels Lust standing over him.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Lust teases, cupping a hand over his own ear as to further act as if he didn't hear him.

"I--I-- can't!" Deceit repeats louder between sobs.

"Deceit, I'm trying to understand you, but I just cannot seem to hear what you are say----"

"I can't- do it-, alright!? I-my knee- -I physically can't get up, and y-you know that! You- did this!" Deceit suddenly yells out, slamming both fists down against the ground in an act of pure frustration and despair. He immediately bursts into uncontrollable crying, his sobs filling the silent room.

"I can-can't do-it." Deceit repeats between sobbing. 

"Awwh, you poor baby..." Lust coos, tilting his head up gently. He uses a thumb to wipe a tear from Deceit's face.

Without hesitation, Lust drives his fist deep into Deceit's cheekbone. Surprised, Deceit barely has time to react before his fist connects again. He can feel his lip split painfully as the back of Lust's hand meets his mouth hard. He falls onto his back, spots of colours exploding in the corners of his eyes like fireworks as the figure of Lust looms over him.

 

Thomas's POV

His breathing comes hard and fast as he looks around at his sides. Roman flicks on the light, illuminating all of them so he could see them clearly. His heart continues to pound against his chest from the horrifying nightmare he had just experienced.

"What- are you guys doing in here?" Thomas asks, rubbing a hand on his forehead.

"Thomas, we have just shown you the worst of yourself," Logan tells him, hands folded behind himself neatly. Thomas stares wide-eyed at Logan, finding it hard to believe that parts like that even existed in him.

"If you're insistent on going down this path, you should know exactly what that entails. We had to show you." Roman explains further.

"But-I'm a bad person, aren't I? Why is this shaking me up so much?" Thomas asks, his mind torn between two sides of himself.

"No, kiddo, you're not a bad person. It's Deceit again, he's messing with you. That's why you feel so...scrambled." Patton assures him with a warm smile. Thomas stares down at his own hands. Does he even know who he is anymore? How could he let Deceit manipulate him?

"But don't worry! We will find the  _sunny side up_." A wide smile spreads across Patton's face as the pun leaves his mouth. From across the room, Logan exhales deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose like he has a headache.

"Look, Thomas, to put it simply, Deceit is up to no good for a change. We need you to take us to his room so we can straighten him out." Virgil clarifies.

"He really did this? How?" Thomas questions, not understanding the motive behind this. Usually, Deceit's actions had some sort of secret agenda.

"We don't know Thomas, but we need to help you. Just answer this; Do you want to be a good person?" Roman intersects with a dramatic, hero-like pose.

"Yes-yes, of course, I do!" Thomas replies instantly, standing from his bed quickly.

"Then we need to go after Deceit. He's done something to you and clouded your judgement." Logan says, adjusting his tie smoothly. Thomas processes this for a moment, standing motionlessly. After a couple of moments, he looks up with an expression of determination and says;

"Where do we start?"

 

Deceit's POV

Lust continued to beat him mercilessly until he was barely conscious. Deceit rolls onto his side, allowing himself to cough up the blood onto the floor, as to not suffocate on it. It leaves a sick, metallic aftertaste. He can feel his entire face throbbing, except for his eyes. According to Lust, his eyes were "too beautiful to harm". As for the rest of him, Lust made sure to worsen every single injury. At this point, Deceit was fully aware that his wounds were never going to heal. Lust would simply keep breaking him further and further until one day, he gets beaten beyond the point of repair.

He is engulfed in full agony, waves of pain pulling him in like a tide, and releasing him slowly, only to pull him back in once again. He is at the mercy of his own affliction, unable to even think straight.

One simply statement keeps repeating itself, no other thoughts coming as he lays on his back, breathing slowly.

One sentence, which brought such a terrible tear-jerking response from him every time it entered his head.

One sentence, that fills him with despair and hopelessness.

One sentence, which makes him question how much longer he can withstand all of the torture.

And that one sentence is;

_I can't do it_

 

 


	12. Riddles

Thomas's POV

It's the next morning. Thomas, along with his four other sides are standing in his living room in their respective places.

"Okay, so how do we do this?" Thomas asks them.

"I believe you must focus on lies that you have told in your lifetime." Logan explains, adjusting his tie to ready himself. Thomas takes a breath to calm his nerves. He doesn't know why he was so scared. Maybe because Deceit was the only side he didn't really know? He could never predict Deceit, that part was true.

"Here we go..." Thomas closes his eyes and focuses hard on the biggest lies he's ever told.

At first, Thomas finds it very difficult to think of any, but as he kept remembering them, they kept coming faster and faster. He feels dirty and wrong, like who he was is a lie in itself. It's the feeling he gets whenever Deceit comes around. But there was also a calming effect, as it made him feel in control of any situation.

One by one, the four sides close their eyes as well. They all dread what lies on the other side, predicting some trick Deceit has for them.

Together, they sink down and descend into the darkest parts of Thomas's mind.

Deceit's POV

The beating went on all night. Lust didn't let him sleep at all. Every time Deceit began to drift off, Lust would kick him hard in the side to wake him back up. It's common knowledge to Deceit that sleep deprivation is one of the most effective torture methods, but he didn't think it would be this bad. He found himself nearly telling Lust both Virgil and Patton's weaknesses just because his mind was so emotionally and physically exhausted. Lust kept saying that if he gave them up, he would let Deceit sleep. Of course, Deceit didn't believe a word he said.

"When do the auditory hallucinations kick in, hmm? 4 Days?" Lust asks him, watching him begin to nod off again. Before Lust strikes him, Deceit quickly jerks himself awake.

"Well, it's been almost 2 I'd say, so we've got a little longer. How about we fill the silence with some conversation, hmm?" Deceit's eyes meet his burn marks again, and even the sight of the severe 3rd-degree burns makes him flinch. He's sitting up against the wall, Lust sitting across from him in a chair.

"Let me tell you a bit about myself." 

"Plea-please do-..." Deceit mocks sarcastically, eyes barely open.

"I've always been---" Lust begins to retell his story, but stops mid-sentence when footsteps echo outside the chamber. The metal door slides open, revealing Rage.

"Get up here. Bring your plaything." He demands simply, walking away without further explanation.  _Plaything._ The word echoes in his head again.

_Is that what I am to them? Not a hostage or a prisoner, but a toy?_

"Seems like we are allowed upstairs again." Lust chuckles under his breath while he lifts Deceit off of the ground. Deceit cries out as Lust's arm wraps around his broken, bruised torso to support his weight.

"Oh, stop whining." Lust teases as he leads him out the door.

 

Deceit limps up the stairs, supported by Lust. They enter the main room, where Pride is pacing back and forth. Pride suddenly realizes that they've arrived and whips around.

"You. Here." Pride orders, pointing to Deceit, and then to the metal pole. Lust drops him onto the ground and then proceeds to chain both wrists to the pole. The chains chaff terribly against his fresh brands, making him inhale sharply. Lust takes his seat next to Rage.

"We've got a problem." Pride states, a dark look cast in Deceit's way.

"What? What is it?" Lust inquires. With a huff of frustration, Pride takes a seat in the center.

"Thomas, along with his light sides, have entered our realm." Pride tells them. Both Rage and Lust seem confused by the news. Deceit, however, feels hope. It quickly sizzles out, like a weak campfire burning through its only fuel within seconds.

_'Why do you feel hopeful? It's not like they are coming to save you, stupid.'_ He tells himself. 

"Why?" Rage asks.

"I have no idea, but I know they have crossed the barrier somehow."

"Do you think they are here for him?" Lust points to Deceit.

Deceit bursts into weak, raw laughter. They all stare at him, unamused.

"What's so funny?" Rage interrogates him, rising from his seat to kneel in front of him with a threatening grin.

"They- aren't coming for me-, they all des-despise me." Deceit states, a hint manic in his tired voice.

"He's right. They all know that on this side of Thomas's mind, they are at their most vulnerable state. None of them would risk their own necks to save his worthless life." Lust adds. He notices a look of resentment cross Deceit's face for Thomas and his other sides.

"Well, then they aren't a threat! Why don't we just attack them now and take over?" Rage stands and faces Pride, a crazed smile on his lips.

"If we attack now and reveal ourselves to Thomas without disabling his other sides, we will be snuffed out almost immediately! Do you ever think ahead, you moron?" Pride seethes at Rage, hands clenched around the arms of the chair with anger. Rage looks off in a random direction, murderous wrath dancing in his eyes like fire. Pride and Lust continue to plan, but Deceit stays focused on Rage's face. Such anger in one simple expression. He's so unable to control any emotion. Maybe Deceit could use that to his own advantage?

"Here, follow me. I'll show you what I mean." Pride orders to Lust, who stands up with him. They both begin to walk towards the corridor, Rage following close behind. Pride whips around, placing a hand in front of Rage to stop him.

"No. I need you to stay here and watch that snake over there. You seem too incompetent to do anything else." Pride insults him and walks away with a royal flare in his steps, Lust following close behind. 

Deceit notices Rage's fists clench into tight balls, his fingertips white from the pressure.

"Oh, useless am I? I'll show you useless..." Rage hisses in his direction, quiet enough so he doesn't hear. He suddenly turns around, facing Deceit.

"You're going to tell me  _everything,_ even if that means breaking  _every single bone in your body._ " 

 

Thomas's POV

Thomas's eyes fly open and take in his surrounding. He is in what seems to be a dark corridor, standing in front of a large pine door. He hears the others appear as well, glancing around wildly.

"Sweet apple spice! This is even worse than Virgil's room!" Roman exclaims, causing Virgil to shoot him a sharp glare.

"No offence..." He adds with a smile as Virgil rolls his eyes.

"We aren't in his room yet." Logan states, noticing the sign on the door. It reads;

**Deceit's Room**

_5 beings stand at my door, each one lying forevermore._

_You want to see my room so badly, so let's make a deal. To enter my domain, you each must reveal._

_Reveal what secrets you hold so tight. Plunge yourself into brilliant deceitful-light._

_For only then will you see what_ _has become of your innocent reality._

 

 

They all read the inscription and glance at each other in confusion, except for Logan who looks intrigued and impressed.

"I see..." He says, straightening his shirt neatly.

"What? I don't, what is it?" Thomas asks, feeling an eerie chill up his spine. Patton stares longingly at Logan, who begins to explain.

"In order for us to go any deeper in, we must each reveal to each other one lie that we have told." 

"What if we never lie?" Patton inquires, not being able to recall a single time he was dishonest.

"Well, he wouldn't have put this here if that was the case. None of us are completely honest, Patton. Not even you." Logan tells him. Patton feels a strange uncertainty fall over him. Does he even know who he is anymore? Let alone, any of the others?

"So...who wants to go first?" Virgil asks the group.

They all stay silent, standing vulnerable in the shadowy corridor.

 

 

 


	13. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This one is gonna be a long one, so enjoy! Also, trigger warning for anyone who gets upset by mentions of suicide or depression, just a warning that it is mentioned in this chapter very briefly. Not directly, just implied.

Deceit's POV

Rage pushes him against the wall, forearm pressing against his throat violently. Deceit's hands grasp at Rage's wrist, trying to alleviate some pressure.

"Pride thinks he can boss me around and insult me..." Rage hisses under his breath, his thoughts running sporadically away from him while he nearly suffocates Deceit.

"I'll show him..." Rage pulls him off the wall and throws him across the room into the table holding all of their sick weapons. They scatter across the floor, knives, needles, hammers clanging loudly against the floor.  Deceit rolls across the floor, all of the wind blown from his lungs in an instance.

"I'll get their weaknesses out of you, and then I will take matters into my own hands." Before Deceit knows it, he's being lifted up once more. Rage thrusts him against the hard wall, face first this time. He pulls Deceit's arm behind his back, jerking it up into a terribly painful position. Deceit screams in agony, his other hand digging his nails into the wall desperately. The day-old stab wound in his palm aches terribly like the knife was just thrust through it once more.

"Tell me!" Rage bellows. Deceit can feel the tendons in his arm under immense strain, and his shoulder threatens to dislocate. This was a game of uncle, and the only way to stop the pain was to reveal what he knows. A frustrated sigh comes from behind his head.

"I'm not playing games, Deceit. You are going to tell me!" Rage assures him before slamming a foot into the back of Deceit's broken knee.

He allows Deceit to drop to his knees, crying out pathetically as he collides with the hard, unforgiving floor. Rage pulls him backwards, sending him sprawled out on his back. Rage continues to climb on top of him, sitting directly on his ribcage.

He feels blind, searing panging drill deep into his torso as he tries to push Rage off of himself to no success. Rage's hands find Deceit's wrists and he holds them down above his head. There's nothing Deceit can do. He can't push him off, he can't fight back, he can't call out for help. He can't even scream out, the weight on his chest being too much to make any noise at all.

"Let's see how many fingers you're willing to lose for them." He threatens, releasing one of his wrists to reach for a knife on the floor. Deceit begins to struggle harder once he realizes what Rage is about to do to him.

"Hold...still.." Rage orders, reaching blindly behind himself for the knife as Deceit gets one of his hands free. He begins panicking, body begging him for relief that he cannot offer. He starts feeling the ground, trying to pick up any sort of weapon to fight back with.

"There we are." Deceit hears Rage sliding a knife across the floor, picking it up. In one last desperate attempt at saving himself, Deceit reaches his hand out further across the ground and feels something graze his fingertips. It feels like a plastic tube in his hands, but it's the only thing he can find.

Rage turns back to face him, knife in hand and eyes flickering with intense madness. Deceit's heart leaps into his throat as he fumbles with the unknown object and thrusts it towards Rage mindlessly.

Rage's expression breaks into surprise and bewilderment as he feels a small prick in the side of his neck.

"What..?" He blurts out, hand going up to his neck to feel a syringe sticking out of him. Deceit stares up in shock as he rips the needle out, but it's too late. The unknown drug is already injected and is being flushed through his entire body.

"You..." Rage's words come slow and garble together. 

"I'm going--to kill... you..." With a last threat, Rage falls over to the side, completely unconscious. 

 

Trying to not whimper too loudly, Deceit pushes Rage's legs off of himself. God, it hurts. Everything hurts once the adrenaline seeps out of his veins. Tears in his eyes, Deceit rolls himself onto his stomach and tries to get up. He falls back down, nearly screaming out, but he keeps it inside. This is his one chance at escaping. If he's caught, they'll make sure he never walks again. Face pulled into a grimace and tears running down his face, Deceit manages to get up onto all four, limbs shaking with effort. His breathing comes in shakey, shallow gulps.

Legs quaking, he slowly rises onto his feet, knee screaming in protest as more and more weight is put on it. He tries to take a step and ends up stumbling forward into the wall, gripping it to hold himself up.

Deceit looks around, desperately hoping for an escape. He sees a door he's never gone into, but he doubts it would be that easy to escape from here. He decides it's worth a shot.

Deceit slowly limps over to the door, keeping as much weight off of his knee as possible. He practically falls against the wooden door and pulls it open. A corridor opens before him, illuminated by an eerie light. It cascades against another door, locked shut with a large padlock.

"Damn--it..." He expresses in such a woeful tone that it nearly makes him cry. He's not going to give up here, he's so close.

Carefully, he limps back over to Rage and drops to the unconscious side. He pats against his pockets, feeling around for a key. Rage exhales loudly, causing a flush of hot adrenaline to run through his body feverishly. He nearly jumps to his feet, but instead freezes, just waiting for Rage to wake up. Waiting for Rage to punish him for attempting an escape. Waiting to be dragged deeper and deeper into madness.

But it doesn't come. Rage stays knocked-out, breathing calmly in and out. Forcing his hands to move, Deceit continues to search. He feels what seems to be a key and pulls it out of Rage's pocket.

Hope. Hope swells in his chest for the first time in a week as he cautiously climbs to his feet. He begins limping towards the door but freezes when he hears footsteps approaching from another hallway. The faint voices of Pride and Lust are what jerks Deceit back from his trance.

Deceit hobbles to the door as quickly as he can, whining quietly each time he feels the splinters in his knee rubbing against each other. With shaking hands, he forces the key into the lock and turns it quickly, hearing a click as the padlock releases. He fumbles with the lock for a couple of seconds before tearing it free. It clangs against the ground loudly.

"What was that?" Pride's voice calls out from another room. Deceit pulls the heavy steel door open and slides out.

 

Deceit finds himself in the corridors of Thomas's darker mind. He can barely see two feet in front of him. Luckily, he knows his way around these menacing shadows. All he has to worry about is the faces that he sees in the shadows, the faces of those who had tortured him. He's so out of it that he can't tell if he's imagining them or not.

But one thing is for sure, he was going to his room and not looking back.

 

Thomas's POV

"I'll go first..." Virgil says to the group, who turn to him, startled at his sudden confidence. They wait patiently as he takes a breath, hiding his shaking hands inside the pockets of his jacket.

"I-... There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it, okay?" Virgil's eyes fixed onto the ground.

"I've--uh--been hiding something from all of you for a long time. Truth is- I... I... whenever I am late to breakfast, it's not because I slept in. It's because I don't have the motivation to get up in the morning. It's because I can't...I can't see the point in getting up at all. Sometimes...I would just rather not wake up at all." He admits to them, wiping a small tear from his face with his purple/black sleeves. They all stare at him, dumbfounded.

"Virgil, I---" Patton feels his own eyes watering at the sight of Virgil being so upset.

"Don't. Just- can we move on...please?" Virgil puts his hood up again to hide his red eyes. Logan's eyes meet Patton, they look so shocked and scared at the sudden confession.

They hear a click at the door, like something unlocked. Roman tries the handle. It's still locked, but it seems as if one lock had been lifted by Virgil.

"It worked!" Roman exclaims.

"I guess- I'll go next." Logan declares, fidgeting with his tie anxiously as their eyes meet his.

"This better be worth it..." He mutters under his breath, hoping that somehow Deceit could hear him.

"I've been telling you all that I have no emotions, and that I feel nothing at all. That was a lie." Logan states in a clear, yet hesitant voice.

"Truth is, I felt that to help you all in the best way I could, I had to hide my own wants and feelings. Even now, see?" He holds up his hands to them, which are shaking.

"I'm just as scared as all of you, but I found ways to hide it." Logan drops his hands, his face emotionless. But when Thomas looks deeper into Logan's eyes, he can see clear guilt and fear written in them, clear as day.

Another click sounds at the door.

Roman gulps nervously, stepping up to them in a confident pose.

"I guess it's my turn now." He says, an edge of apprehensiveness cutting through his normally confident tone. He clears his throat, laughing awkwardly under his breath.

"So, I know I act big and proud, but that is my role as creativity. It's like a character to play, you know?" He begins, trying to beat around the point.

"My truth is.. I suppose.. that I've never quite been as confident as I am today." Roman states. He waits for another click at the door, but it doesn't come.

"Ugh, fine!" Roman stomps a foot on the ground angrily, crossing his arms in embarrassment.

"I- I'm not confident, alright? I don't think I'm good enough for you, Thomas. I never have, and I don't think I ever will." Roman finally gets it out, hearing the confirmation of the click in the door. None of them know what to say to him. They all feel out of place, and maybe that was intended.

Thomas rubs his hands together anxiously.

"I'll go now." He says simply, closing his eyes to prepare himself.

"I don't really believe that I'll find someone for me. I've tried holding on to this childish hope of true love, but lately..." He trails off, sadness choking in his throat as he thinks of his exes.

"It seems unlikely." He finishes, a half-sad smile pulling at the corner of his lips as the click sounds again.

They all turn to Patton, the last one.

"I- don't really know what to say..." Patton says, staring at them all with a distraught expression.

"One thing at a time Patton. We'll handle all of...this later, okay?" Logan assures him with an understanding smile. Patton finds his lips quivering as he tries his best not to cry. He just wants to stop them from hurting. He would do anything to take all of their pain away.

"Deep breath Patton, you can do this." Thomas calms him.

"Okay-okay I can do this.." Patton says that to himself.

"I..tend to not be completely honest with how I'm feeling. Like a little while ago when we talked about nostalgia." He says, rubbing his arm in nervousness. The sound doesn't come.

"What's wrong with mine?" He asks, almost offended that the door didn't accept it.

"Maybe because you've already told us that?" Thomas offers an explanation. It makes sense, they had already talked about this issue for an entire day.

What other lies has he told? He can't think of any except that one. When has he lied to anyone he loved? It's just not something he does. But then, a realization flickers to life in his head.

_'Anyone I loved... I have lied to someone I love. I lied about the **way** I love them.'_ He goes stiff with terror. They seem to notice, as the atmosphere between them changes.

_'There has to be another way. Another lie!_ _'_ He can't think of one on the spot. He doesn't have a choice, he needs to confess. He needs to decide right now what is more important; his secret feelings towards a certain side, or Thomas's entire future.

"Patton? Are you alright?" Logan cuts through his whirling thoughts. A warmth falls over Patton when their eyes meet again. He smiles and nods, legs shaking.

"Yes, yes I'm fine. I just- I don't know if I can say this.." Patton feels his face go hot as they all stare at him, waiting for his confession.

"Patton, you can tell us anything. You know that." Roman assures him. Nods come from the others in agreement, which calms his nerves just a little.

"Okay... okay... I'll just say it." Patton closes his eyes, heart racing. 

"I---" His voice dissipates within seconds as he pictures Logan's disgusted face once he found out. He bites down on his lip and forces the words out before he can stop himself.

" **I'm in love with Logan!** " Patton exclaims, eyes flying open and landing on Logan's surprised face.

"Wait- what?" Logan blurts out, not registering it for a moment. It couldn't be true, right? There's no way that Patton could ever love hi---

The final click sounds, unlocking the door.

 

Deceit's POV

Deceit had slipped through the back door to his room, an entrance only he knew about. He collapses onto the cold, stone floor of his room. He's too exhausted to get to his bed, so he stays there for ten minutes and nearly falls asleep. The one thing that jerks him awake is the sound of a door unlocking.

The sound of  **his** door unlocking.


	14. Blind Anger

Deceit's POV

Millions of thoughts are running through his head. Is it Rage? Did they find him again? He stays silent for a moment, listening for the faint voice that comes. 

Thomas's voice echoes off of the walls. 

His heart leaps up into his mouth because somehow all of them being here is even worse. Why were they here? He can't let them see him like this, he can't let them know. If he tells them anything about the dark sides, it gives them the opportunity to come back.

"No, no, no." He repeats like a prayer, hearing them enter his room completely. He jumps to his feet a little too quickly and slaps a hand over his mouth to stop himself from screaming out. Deceit rushes over to his closet and tears his usual outfit off of its hanger. He can't let them see the bruises around his ribs or the slashes on his back. He slips his arms through his dark brown shirt, wincing as his shirt grazes against the bruising. Hands shaking, he buttons it up and slips on his black capelet. This was going to be the hard part, his pants. There's no time to do this slowly, the footsteps are getting louder as they explore his room. He slips his good leg in first, nearly falling over as all of the weight is put on his knee. Getting his footing, he forces his other leg into his black pants. He buttons them up and slips into his black dress shoes. He tries to comb his hair a little with his fingers as he places his bowler hat onto his head. He's missing something, he knows it. Then his yellow gloves catch his eyes. Limping over to them, he carefully puts one onto the hand with the stab wound, and then the other. Looking beside the cabinet, he sees a cane. It's black, with a silver, ornamental snake coiled around it. He quickly grabs it, knowing that his knee couldn't support this much weight forever.

Taking a deep breath, he turns, hearing them approach.

It's time to face the music. And he was going to have to put on one hell of a show.

 

Logan's POV

Thomas goes for the door, turning the knob and pushing it open. He finds himself staring at Patton, dumbfounded and confused.

 _'He..loves me?'_ Logan thinks to himself before tearing his eyes away from Patton, whose face is bright red, and tears are forming in his eyes. Logan doesn't know what to say to make this better. So he stays silent as everyone else enters into Deceit's room. He forces himself to move through as well, deciding that he would handle all of this later.

Instantly, a cool damp air greets him. He looks around, Deceit's 'room' dimly illuminated by candles. It was in fact not a room, but a cave. The floor is a cold stone, and Decet's bed lies at the far right of his cave, surrounded by a moat of what looks like rainwater. Stalactites hang from the ceiling precariously. Ivy covers the walls, coating it in a green web. A chandelier swings above them, showering them in an eerie light.

Suddenly, he hears Patton squeal, followed by a snake hiss. Patton jumps backwards and clings to Logan, who is too surprised to do anything. Patton seems to stiffen as he realizes what he's doing, and quickly releases Logan.

"I'm sorry-" He apologizes, basically jumping away from Logan. Logan's eyes meet what scared him so badly. A real snake slithers across the ground.

"It's alright," Logan replies, but Patton is already too far away to hear him. He carefully steps over the baby snake, rejoining the group.

 

"Deceit!" Thomas shouts, pointing to a figure in the darkest corner of the room. It steps into the light, revealing Deceit himself. He's grinning, leaning carelessly on a cane.

"The one and only." Deceit coos with a bow of his head. The five of them stand in front of Deceit, who eyes each of them with an amused look.

 

Deceit's POV

 They all stare at him with such ferocity in their eyes. He's slightly scared of that, considering he's not exactly in fighting shape.

"So this is where you've hidden away." Virgil hisses at him, lifting his hood to reveal an expression of total hate.

"Well, yes. It is rather lovely, is it not?" He replies, throwing out an arm and gesturing to it all.

"That was a sick trick at your door, Deceit." Thomas declares, arms crossed.

"It was meant to deter you all, but here you are." Deceit rolls his eyes, quickly shifting his weight slightly as he feels his knee buckling. He hopes they don't notice, and they seem not to.

"Let's skip the formalities, shall we? What are you all doing here in my domain?" He quickly snaps at them.

"We are here to ask you what you've been doing to Thomas!" Patton replies angrily, pointing to Thomas. Little did they know that he had been enduring the worst of torture to keep them all safe.

 _'Play the part. Play a character. Play yourself.'_ He reminds himself, biting back his bitter anger.

" _Me?_ When have I ever done something like that...?" Deceit replies with a mocking smile, hand on his chest to act falsely offended.

"Well, there was the instance you tried to manipulate Thomas into lying to Joan. Also, when you tried to get him to lie to Mary Lee and Lee. Oh, and when--" Roman begins, not picking up on Deceit's sarcasm.

"Roman, just-- Can we get to the point?" Logan interrupts, adjusting his glasses. Deceit seems to stiffen at the sudden hostility from the most level-headed side out of all of them.

"What is your motive here? Why are you trying to bring out the darker sides of Thomas?" He asks simply.

"I'm just trying to show Thomas who he truly is! Why can't any of you understand?" Deceit slams his cane down on the ground to emphasize his point.

"That's not who he is!" Patton states defensively. Deceit's eyes meet Thomas, who nods in agreement with Patton. That's a good sign, meaning Thomas at this moment does believe he is a good person.

"How do you know?" Deceit winks to Thomas, who scowls at him.

"Alright, enough of this." Virgil states with authority in his voice. He approaches Deceit, who seems to shuffle nervously.

"You are  _pathetic_ , you know that? You're even lower than I thought you were..." Virgil seethes at him, close enough to their faces nearly touch. Deceit gets a flashback of Rage and almost feels himself being pressed against the wall again. He keeps this terror off of his face, replacing it with amusement and confidence.

"I swear to God if you do so much as come near any of us ever again..." Virgil threatens.

"I am a side of Thomas, I don't really have a choice in the matte---" Deceit begins to say sarcastically before being cut off.

" **Shut UP!** " Virgil screams at him, grabbing him roughly by the collar of his shirt. He sees terror flash in Deceit's eyes.

"Uh, Virgil--" Patton tries to calm him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

" **Give me one reason why I shouldn't just kill you now!** " Virgil shouts, baring his teeth to Deceit, who grimaces slightly.

"Virgil, I think you've made your point--" Thomas interjects now.

" **You worthless, insignificant, manipulative little snake in the grass. You are NOTHING.** " Deceit sees tears in Virgil's eyes. He doesn't understand what is happening. What had his little riddle forced out of Virgil to make him this angry? He doesn't know what to say, and he can't stop picturing Rage's face in the corner of his eyes, ready to break him.

" **YOU ARE NOTHING!** " Virgil screams at him again, shoving him backwards. Deceit feels his knee contort as he is thrown away and falls backwards, unable to catch his balance. His elbows slam against the stone as he lands on his back.

"Virgil! That's enough!" Logan shouts, grabbing Virgil to keep him back. Virgil continues shouting insults at him, but Deceit can't hear them. He is too stunned and in pain, leaning back on his elbows. His ribs are singing with agony, sending blazing signals up his spine.

Virgil nearly breaks away from Logan, blind with wrath. Roman leaps into action, holding him back with Logan. He struggles in their grasp, tears now running down his face.

After a little longer of resisting, Virgil drops to his knees, face in his hands as he sobs. Deceit stares at him with a confounded expression.

"Deceit, are you--" Thomas asks.

"I'm fine." Deceit assures, getting back up on his feet slowly. His knee creaks under the pressure, forcing a grimace onto his face. Leaning heavily on his cane, Deceit stands as firmly as he can as to not fall over once again.

"You're...you're bleeding..." Logan points to one of his hands. Deceit looks down and sees a splotch of red seeping through the top of his hand. Trying to catch himself as he was falling must've torn open the stab wound.

"Oh..so-so I am." Deceit stutters, looking down at it with a blank expression of panic.

"Here, let me take a look. Must've been when you fell back-" Logan begins to approach him, but stops when Deceit nearly jumps away from him.

"No, it's fine- it's nothing." He adds defensively, hiding the injured hand under the other. They all look so concerned, noticing that he seems so off.

"Look, Virgil-is right. I shouldn't have been messing with you- Thomas. I was wrong, okay-? You're a good person- and I won't ever talk to any of you again, I promise. Now, if you could kindly leave--" Deceit suddenly loses his balance, visibly catching himself as he almost falls with a stifled whine of agony. Logan and Patton both make towards him, trying to help him.

" **Don't!** " Deceit yells out, stopping both of them in their tracks. His eyes suddenly widen, realizing what he had done. He forces an expression of confidence on his face as he straightens himself out.

"Don't-, I'm fine." Deceit assures again with an unconvincing smile. They all glance at each other.

"Why are you acting so strange?" Roman asks him, noticing the way he is relying so heavily on the cane.

"I'm not--"

"Why did you confess to being wrong to easily? That doesn't seem right..." Logan's eyes scan his strange posture, noticing his short, sporadic breathing.

"It's just that--"

"Why are you so pale? Even your scales aren't their usual green." Logan cuts him off again, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"No, they're always like this." Deceit lies, tilting his head a certain way to hide them.

"No, they aren't. Did someone hurt you?" Logan interrogates. Those words seem to invoke a strange emotion from Deceit.

"Only Virgil-"

"Falsehood. Virgil just shoved you, you seem exhausted and malnourished like you haven't been outside in days." Logan continues on, picking up on even the slightest clues. Deceit sees an idea pop into Logan's head. He hopes desperately to himself that it's not what he thinks it is.

"Was it them?" Logan questions, causing a hot panic to flood him.

"Who?" Thomas asks Logan.

"It's--"

"Don't." Deceit cuts him off with a desperate expression, telling Logan that his suspicions are true.

"Logan, who is it?" Patton asks this time, strangely worried about Deceit's health.

"It's Thomas's dar---" Deceit quickly holds up a hand and clenches his fist, using his power over Logan and forcing Logan's own hand to clasp over his mouth.

"What is happening?" Thomas exclaims, panicking as he looks at Logan's wide, desperate eyes.

"Thomas- you need to listen to me, now." Deceit orders, stumbling slightly as exhaustion creeps into him. His cane slams against the floor again, this time to keep him upright.

"You need- to leave right now. You can't ever- ever know, alright? I will never bother any- of you again..please you need to just walk away...and forget this." Deceit pleads him in a heartwrenching tone. If Logan reveals them, the dark sides will know where he is again. They will come for him again, and then they will take over Thomas. He has done so much to ensure that it doesn't happen. If Logan reveals that now, it will have been for nothing.

"Please Thomas..." Deceit begs him, embarrassed by the sound of his own pathetic voice. Thomas looks troubled, glancing between each of his sides for a solution. Thomas takes a breath and clenches his fists.

"No. I want to know." He declares, looking to Logan with permission to say it.

"Thomas--" Deceit pleads again, feeling his power over Logan being torn from him.

"No. Tell me, Logan." Logan rips his own hand from his mouth as Deceit loses his grip over him.

"It's the dark sides!" Logan states loudly. Deceit stares at them all, eyes watering. He had done so much for that to never get out, and it's for nothing now. It's more than he can handle.

He can feel hopelessness take over him once again, feeling that he was already back in Lust's torture chamber. It's all too much.

He collapses onto the ground, shock taking over. Deceit hears the faint voices of all of them over him, asking him if he's alright as his vision fades.

Deceit had endured so much agony for nothing. It was for nothing now.

He had suffered for  **nothing**.


	15. Nightmares Come to Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, over 100 kudos?! Thank you guys so much! I look forward to reading your comments every day, and I'm so glad you're all enjoying the story!  
> Speaking of which, I heard from a lot of you that you don't think poor Deceit has learned his lesson yet, so let's turn up the heat, shall we? ;)  
> Love you all! <3  
> -Star

Deceit's POV

_Water floods his lungs and he quickly opens his eyes, seeing only a blurred image of a face. Deceit knows that face, of course, the way his sick smile meets his rosy lips. It can't be anyone else but Lust._

_He's being held under and desperately sucks in water as the oxygen in his body seems to dissipate in mear seconds. It's so wintry cold, making his body go numb and dull. He can feel his mouth forming words like 'Please' and 'Stop', but he knows deep in his heart that Lust doesn't care._

_Finally, the hand lifts from his head, allowing him to rise from underneath. Deceit's head breaches the water, immediately inhaling deep, but something is wrong. The sensation of breath filling his lungs doesn't come, instead, he just keeps trying to suck in the air that refuses to come._

_He still can't breathe._

_Deceit is panicking, making the desperate noises of a man on the cusp of suffocation. The only thing that greets him is Lust's smile as he walks away, leaving Deceit to fend for himself against an invisible prison that keeps him from breathing. He feels a hand grab the back of his head forcefully and pull him back underwater._

_Yet when he opens his eyes, he's no longer in the bath but chained to the ceiling by his wrists in a dim room. He is breathing fine, which calms him to some degree. Hearing the swish of a whip, he turns his head and sees Rage. With no warning, the whip is struck quickly against his back. Eyes watering, he tries to scream but is unable to make any noise. He is paralyzed, listening to the historic laughter of Rage behind him as he whips it across his back repeatedly. Deceit is crying, begging his body to cry out for help, but a sound never comes. He can feel something rising in his chest and immediately thinks it is vomit. It's cold, and creeps up his throat steadily, eventually blocking off his airways. Terrified, his head lurches forward and spills out not puke, but water. He stares down at it, horrified. Deceit snaps out of it once another flush of cold, sharp water fills his lungs completely. He thrashes hard against his chains, eyes wide in panic as water spills between his lips in an endless stream. He coughs, trying to push the fluid from his lungs, but it seems to come indefinitely. Gurgled sounds are the only thing that comes from him when Rage hacks into his skin, his laughter refusing to end._

_Suddenly, Pride enters the doorway, an amused and disgusted look scanning him. Pride's hand reaches for a lever, his eyebrows raised mockingly. Deceit's eyes follow the cords connected to the lever, finding that they were connected to him. He opens his mouth to beg him not to, but only chokes out water. With teary eyes full of terror and dread, he watches as Pride flips the switch._

 

 

Deceit sits up, inhaling deeply as his eyes fly open in a blind panic. He's immediately shaking and finds himself nearly crying from the dream he had. It had felt so real that he still feels Pride's glare on him.

In a nervous hysteria, he glances around the room he's in, recognizing it as Logan's room. He realizes he's in what looks like a hospital bed with clean, white sheets covering him.

"What the  **hell**..." Deceit whispers to himself. How did they get him here? Why did they bring him here? Why couldn't they have just left him to suffer on his own? He doesn't know, but he's not staying to find out.

Deceit swings his legs over the bed, whimpering slightly when his broken knee begins to ache bitterly. The sheets fall from his torso as he sits up, revealing tight white bandages wrapped around his ribs. He stares at it for a second, unable to register what that meant. It means that they had seen everything the dark sides did to him. They saw the terrible bruises wrapped around his malformed ribs. They had seen the markings of electrical burns that are seared deep into his veins. Oh God, they had even seen the horrible scars that cover his back. Even the brands Lust melted into his wrists were bandaged. His eyes meet an IV sticking into his veins.

"I need to get out of here." He says to himself, tearing the IV from his arm. The machines begin beeping loudly, sensing the sudden removal.

Deceit doesn't want their pitying looks and apologies. He just couldn't handle it. But they had seen everything... it all looked so bad. He can already hear their countless questions.

_'Are you okay?'_

_'Does it hurt?'_

_'How did you get away?'_

_'What did they want?'_

Deceit feels his bottom lip quivering with despair, face turning red as he thinks of their faces. Hearing footsteps rushing towards his door, Deceit starts to get up quickly. He puts too much weight on his fracture and it immediately buckles, pulling him onto the ground with a shriek.

"Deceit?" Logan's voice calls out from behind the door. Deceit stifles his sudden urge to cry and grips his bed to pull himself up. He has to get away from here.

The door swings open, revealing Logan.

"What are you doing?" Logan demands, rushing towards him. Deceit feels his hands reach under his arms.

"Don't--"

"You need to rest. You've got severe injuries, and--" Deceit's heart is beating far out of control, finding himself remembering when Lust used to do the same thing.

"I'm fine--" He brushes Logan's hands away from him, but Logan is insistent and grabs at him again.

"You've gotten up too quickly, there's no way you'll be able to go unsupervised."

"But-"

"You can barely walk, how do you expect to take care of yourself?" Logan continues to try and help him, completely oblivious to the fact that he is panicking and shaking all over.

"Just let me-"

"You'll stay here until you are better." Deceit feels adrenaline shock him, his fight or flight instincts soon taking control. The way Logan is trying to pick him up, and how he is saying how he can't leave is making Deceit alarmed. He feels like he's back with the dark sides, fighting for his life.

"Stop--stop-" He urges, but Logan doesn't seem to hear him.

"You need to stay hydrated, you seem to have been deprived of basic necessities for far too long----"

" **Don't touch me!** " Deceit screams out, reaching his limit. Logan jumps back from him, hands up submissively. Deceit jerks his head away from Logan's startled expression, ashamed of his sudden loss of control over his emotions. They both stay silent for a couple of moments.

"I'm leaving." Deceit states, pushing himself from the floor with a grimace. Logan clearly wants to push him back into bed and help him, but refrains from touching him at all.

Deceit limps towards the door, being blocked off by Logan, who stands firmly at the door with crossed arms.

"Move..." Deceit hisses, his snake-like side creeping back into his raw voice.

"No. Deceit you need to listen to me. You won't make it far with the injuries you sustained." Logan lectures, watching Deceit roll his eyes.

"I don't need your charity. Get out of the way before I make you..." Deceit snaps, baring his teeth aggressively.

"Deceit we both know that you can barely stand, let alone attack me. Now, you may not be my favourite side, but that doesn't mean I don't care for you. So stop arguing, and get back into bed."

"Maybe I'm not, but we both know who is your favourite side, don't we?" Deceit mocks with a serpent-like smile. Logan narrows his eyes in confusion and suspicion.

"I don't know what you are--"

"Patton is truly the one you care about the most. Don't try to hide it from me, sweetie." Deceit holds his ribs faintly, hoping to stop the sudden pain that nearly forces tears from his eyes.

"That has nothing to do with this." Logan responds angrily. Deceit had struck a nerve, and he knew it.

"Oh, come now Logan, don't  _lie_ to yourself." Logan notices Deceit wince, predicting that he couldn't put up this act for very much longer.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Logan denies, feeling doubt in the back of his mind. Did he love Patton? Is that why he longs for Patton to be with him?

"Quite the contrary, I truly do know everything... So instead of trapping me in here, why don't you scuttle off with your boyfriend, hmm?" Deceit offers sweetly, shifting his weight subtly as to avoid falling again.

"Listen here..." Logan points at him, a hostile tone soaking his voice. Deceit's expression breaks from one of confidence to one of fear.

"You're going to get back in that bed and stop complaining. Do you think those dark sides aren't looking for you? Judging by the marking on your wrists, I'd say that they kept you chained up, and I'm certain they didn't just let you waltz out." Logan steps towards him, causing him to stumble backwards slightly.

"Now, you're going to stay here and heal, and you're going to  _like it._ " Logan orders him, pointing towards the hospital bed. Deceit's eyes go from Logan to the bed, judging his options. Logan was right, they're most likely searching for him. He won't get very far, let alone escape them again. He doesn't have a choice but to suck it up..With a dramatic exhale of frustration, Deceit turns around and limps towards the bed. He collapses into it and turns onto his side, facing the wall. He feels a small tear fall from his eye and slide down the bridge of his nose, dripping onto the sheets. 

_'I'm a prisoner again.'_ Deceit thinks to himself hopelessly.

Logan's POV

Logan watches Deceit roll onto his side, refusing to look at him. Had Logan been too hard on Deceit? He doesn't know. Deceit had always been one of those sides who need to be pushed to do anything. He watches the slow, shaky rise and fall of Deceit's chest. 

They need to know who the dark sides are. They need to know in order to protect Thomas.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Logan offers to Deceit, who flinches at the question.

" _No._ "  Deceit growls without turning around. Logan had seen that coming, but it was worth a shot.

"Very well. I will be outside if you need me." Logan steps out of the room, closing the door behind him. He nearly runs into Patton, who jerks away in surprise.

"Oh, I'm sorry Patton. I didn't see you there." Logan apologizes, watching Patton's eyes cast over with shame at the sight of him.

"It's okay. I just- I wanted to visit Deceit." Patton explains, rubbing his arm nervously. Logan notices that Patton refuses to look him in the eyes.

"I wouldn't. He's pretty...shaken up." Logan glances back at the door with a sad look, unable to comprehend the amount of torment Deceit must have sustained.

"Oh, okay well, I'll come back later then." Patton turns on his heel and starts down the hall, eager to get away.

"Wait, Patton!" Logan calls out before he can stop himself. To his surprise, Patton just keeps walking.

Logan exhales deeply and slides down the wall. 

"God, I don't know anymore..." Logan holds his head in his hands, unsure of his emotions towards Patton.

He hears a sob from behind the door and considers going in, but decides against it.

The last thing Deceit needs right now is an audience.


	16. Denial

Deceit's POV

Deceit's dreams are full of the same hellish images of his captors that night. The next morning, Deceit wakes up in a hot terror, looking wildly around to make sure that he wasn't there anymore. He sees a circle of people sitting in front of his bed, and immediately thinks it is Rage, Lust, and Pride, ready to drag him back into his own personal hell.

"Woah, calm down--calm down." Patton's sweet voice soothes Deceit, who stares back at them all with wide, horrified eyes. Thomas, Patton, Logan, Roman, and Virgil are all in his room, looking startled from his sudden panic. 

He composes a false sense of security onto his face, which seems to convince most of them. His eyes, which usually shine and twinkle with mischief, are now dull and empty, like staring into the bottom of a well.

"What are you all doing in here?" Deceit snaps, his sharp eyes watching them suspiciously with an eerie coldness.

"We're just here to comfort you." Patton answers with a sugary smile, reaching for Deceit's wrist comfortingly. He jerks his hand away with a hiss, causing Patton to look back at the others for assurance that what he was doing was right.

"I don't need your  _pity._ I don't need your  _comfort._ " Deceit seethes at them angrily, not truly understanding why he was so angry. It's true they were only trying to help, but deep down he really didn't want their help. He feels like he doesn't deserve it, he feels like he doesn't belong. No, he would rather die than accept their sympathy. Then and only then would he truly be broken past repair.

"Look Deceit, I know we haven't really listened to you, but I think you can bring good things to the table." Thomas starts with a welcoming gesture, face lit with hope and excitement. Deceit stares at him with such an unwilling guise. Was he seriously trying to befriend him? Why the hell would he want to? To get closer to the dark sides maybe, or to gain his trust.

"I think you, like Virgil, just need to be understood better, you know?" Thomas continues. Deceit glances at Virgil and he can't seem to read his exact feelings. Hatred and fire dances in his dark eyes, like a torch's reflection in a puddle of muddy water. Yet there's a shadow of guilt deep within him that Deceit picks up on, as faint as the moon during daytime.

"Rightly so. You, Deceit, are a survival instinct and it could help, I suppose, to keep you around." Logan adds in, sounding sort of unsure. Patton nods in agreement, his big shining eyes proudly gazing at Deceit.

Deceit suddenly finds himself incredibly furious. Do they really think that he was so innocent? Did they really believe he was a good side of Thomas? He's not, that's a fact. He hates how they're trying to show him in a new light, like a villain redemption story. He wasn't going to be made victim by them. He was already the victim of the dark sides, but he would never ever join the light sides.

"And I guess we have...acting...in common?" Roman tries to support the conversation, but his uncertain tone gives away that he doesn't truly believe that Deceit could be one of them. Virgil stays quiet, arms crossed defensively.

"That's the right attitude, sort of... But we could try! I mean, it will take a little getting used to---" Thomas adds, before being interrupted by Deceit, who can no longer listen to any of their nonsense.

"No." He states simply, face morphed into one of vexing bitterness.

"I'm sorry?" For a minute, Thomas thinks he hears Deceit wrong.

"I said  _'No'._ " Deceit repeats, baring his teeth with a wicked smile. Thomas, along with everyone else, look taken aback, offended even.

"Well, why not kiddo?" Patton asks, trying to treat Deceit like he treats the rest of them. Deceit suddenly whips around to Patton, slamming a hand on his bed.

"I am not one of you!" Deceit cackles at their arrogance, thinking they could befriend a dark side. At the end of the day, he is still the polar opposite of them.

"Don't you all get it? I am the villain of your story, Thomas. I am a  **dark side** of you! I don't have an absolution arc! I don't want your kindness, I want you to fear me! Can't you see that?" Deceit shouts at them, his face twisted into a maniacal and insane sneer.

"You--don't want to be one of us?" Logan asks, bewildered by the side in front of him.

"I  _can't_ be one of you, stupid. I'm not like Virgil, who gets shown the slightest bit of attention and hops on board." Deceit corrects with a cold glare in his direction.

"Besides, it's not like any of this matters anymore anyways..." Deceit trails off, knowing that the Dark Sides could come any moment. All of this pointless bickering was just the prologue, the real trouble was just about to start. He can feel it deep in his broken bones and bruised soul.

 "What do you mean?" Thomas inquires, nervousness rising in his chest as he sees a look of total dark dread cross the injured side's face.

"You've opened a link from them to us. You've given them a path to follow to get here. You have just ordered your own death sentence, Thomas." As the words come, Deceit finds that certain questions pop into his head without warning.  What exactly are the dark sides going to do with  **him**? Will they resume their torturous methods, or will they simply lock him up somewhere and leave him. He doesn't know which is worse. And truly, he didn't want to find out. But there's nothing he can do to get away from them this time, considering the last attempt only succeeded thanks to luck.

"That seems a little exaggerated..." Logan adds, eyebrows raised patronizingly.

"What makes you think they won't do something even worse to each and every one of you? Are you really so arrogant to think that you're safe from them?" Deceit shouts, unable to stop it from coming. He hates how they are pushing aside the main threat, pretending that everything is okay. The moment Logan and Thomas revealed them, it was over.

The 6 of them stand there in sour silence, each of them considering their own fates.

"I'm sorry, I just- I have to get some air..." Thomas stutters, quickly rushing out of the room in a nervous bolt. Both Logan and Roman rise as well, shooting Deceit a morbid glare before running after the panicking Thomas.

Deceit's cutting glare flicks to Patton's face, who stands up slowly.

"I know you're hurt, Deceit. I didn't mean to offend you, I just- I don't know how to help you." Patton pronounces with a mature, loving voice. Deceit finds himself completely stunned, a retort caught in his throat.

"Just know one thing, please? If you ever need me, I will be right here for you, okay?"

"I don'---" Deceit starts to repeat.

"I know you don't want my help, and you won't need my help. But if by rare chance you do, I'll come running, okay?" Patton finishes, smiling sweetly at both Virgil and Deceit before exiting the room.

Deceit is bewildered, staggered into silence by Patton's unending love for all of Thomas's sides. How many times must he try to push them away? Why do they insist on making him feel like part of their little insignificant family?

"You deserved it, you know." Virgil growls, hood pulled over his head. Deceit exhales deeply, a slight snarl releasing from his throat in anger. Virgil walks out of the room without another word.

Deceit melts back down onto his mattress, feeling the tired aching of his healing ribs return. They burn with a sort of fuzzy, healthy feeling as the bones mend. Staring up at the ceiling, he closes his eyes tight to get the traumatizing images out of his head. Was Virgil right? Did he deserve it all? He's always caused so much trouble for Thomas, so maybe he did deserve every single beating and whip slash.

_"Wait, wai--"_ His own pathetic voice enters his head, recalling exactly when Rage was whipping him bloody. How he begged Rage to stop... he can't even think about it. But who wouldn't beg for it to stop? God, the pain was unbearable. He would've done anything to stop it, except give up the side's weaknesses. He could've ended it sooner instead of passing out, but he chose to endure it for them, all of them. That includes Virgil. And he can't ever tell them. They aren't even aware of their own weaknesses, and if they were, the dark sides could easily use it against them.

 

Now it wasn't a question if the dark sides were coming for all of them.

It's just a matter of  _when_.

 

Patton's POV

Patton enters his room, exhausted from comforting Thomas for so long. He had been really shaken up by Deceit's warnings, and so was Patton. He is terrified of a person that has that sort of effect on Deceit. 

Patton shakes these noiseless ideas out from his mind, picturing kittens and puppies to keep his thinking off of the negative. Smiling, he collapses into his soft, fluffy bed. He has nearly fallen asleep when a mysterious, deep voice comes from nowhere.

"Does he love you, Patton?" The voice echoes strangely. Patton immediately thinks it is a dream, so he keeps his eyes closed.

"I don't think so..." He mutters sadly out loud, pushing his face into the fuzzy comfort of his pillow.

"Oh, come now Patton, of course, he does!" The voice encourages hopefully, filling him with this light feeling of excitement.

"Maybe, I don't know. Me and Logan haven't talked in a while, so it's kind of weird between us." Patton continues, in a half-sleep daze. He smiles at the mear thought of Logan's face. His smile, the way he adjusts his glasses on the bridge of his nose, all of it, was perfect. If only they could just be together.

"Logan, eh? Of course..." The voice whispers in confirmation. Patton suddenly realizes that he wasn't dreaming, his eyes flicking open quickly.

"Wait...who are you--?"

Patton turns around to see nobody there.


	17. Ruined Reputation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So sorry for the late update. I promise I'm not losing interest in this story, and I will finish it. I just worked a lot this weekend and was too tired to write, lol. Anyways, enjoy! ~ <3

Patton's POV

It's been a couple of days. Deceit remains as stubborn as ever, refusing help from everyone. He won't tell the rest of them what happened no matter how many times Logan asks him. For Patton, things are returning to normal. He doesn't talk to Logan as much anymore, too embarrassed to hang around for an extended period of time. Virgil stopped showing up to breakfast, which worried everyone. Patton visits him every day, just to make sure he's okay. Virgil just puts up with him to a point, but after half an hour he asks Patton to leave.

Patton is walking back to his room, exhausted from his day of comforting Thomas. Ever since his interaction with Deceit, Thomas has been increasingly anxious and paranoid, so lately Patton stays around to help him out.

He opens the door to his room and walks in, swinging it shut as he jumps onto his fluffy bed. He finds himself thinking of Logan and quickly shuts that thought down. Nothing was going to happen between them. it's one-sided love, right?

"You should just ask him out, sweetie..." A voice comes, startling Patton, who pushes himself up rather quickly. He glances around wildly, heart beating quick in his ears. His eyes meet a figure in the corner of his room, hiding in the shadows.

"Who are you?" Patton asks hesitantly, standing up and facing the unknown person. There's a slight, childish stutter in his voice. Like the shakiness of a young boy who's scared of the monsters in his closet.

"If I tell you, can you help me?" It responds, sounding strangely afraid.

"Yes, of course!" Patton adds, his parental instincts kicking in. The figure slowly steps out from behind the shadows, revealing a side with warm honey-like eyes. His hair combed over has strands of glitter sparkling brightly. Patton stares at him, dumbfounded.

"Hello, Patton. You may call me 'Lust'." He introduces himself with a deep bow. Patton steps back, sensing strange dark energy similar to Deceits.

"Are you a-a-"

"Yes. I am a Dark Side." He is terrified of the strange side standing in front of him. Lust must have noticed the way he is leaning towards the door, ready to dart away.

"Wait, don't! I truly do need your help Patton." Lust urges with such a desperate expression that Patton can't keep himself from being inclined to helping him.

"But you're evil!" Lust looks offended, hurt even. Disgusted at the thought of being known as 'evil'. Patton sees this and suddenly feels terrible.

"Trust me. I am not evil, I am trying to help you all! You see, I was there with Deceit when all of this happened. I need to tell you all what really happened!. You're being lied to." Lust explains, approaching Patton. There's something about him that is so...convincing?

"Lied to?"

"I think you all deserve to know exactly what happened. Could you lead me to the others?"

"I don't know..." Patton senses that they all won't be very happy with him if he just shows up with a dark side, the exact thing they're so afraid of.

"Please Patton, I can't do this without you." Lust pleads again. On the other hand, a side of Thomas just showed up, asking for his help. Is Patton really one to turn down anyone in their time of need.

And really, what harm could it do?

 

Logan's POV

Thomas, Logan and Roman sit at their dining table, counselling Thomas as he has another panic attack.

"But- Deceit said that something was coming, Logan! I don't want to be a bad person-" Thomas repeats for the hundredth time, seemingly unable to get that one thing out from his mind.

"Deceit has gone through a lot Thomas, who knows if he's telling the truth?" Logan adds intellectually.

"Yeah, I mean even on a good day he still lies." Roman supports, playing with his hair to get it just right in a pink handheld mirror. 

"You're right... you're right. I just have this feeling that something bad is going to happen." Thomas says, putting his head on the table.

"Hey- guys?" Patton's voice calls from the hallway. They all look up and see Patton...but there's someone next to him. Another side?

Logan stands up immediately, along with Roman. They stand as if defending Thomas from this unknown side.

"Calm down everyone, he's no threat!" Patton announces to them all, allowing Lust to step out from behind him. They all observe him with suspicion, feeling immediately that he's a dark side.

"Patton, get away from him." Logan urges, reaching for Patton to grab his hand. Patton shakes his head, putting his arms out to protect Lust.

"No, he's here to help us." 

"You don't know that, Patton!" Roman insists. Lust steps towards them all, hands folded reflectively.

"I am here to help you all, I promise." Lust ensures. Logan and Roman look at each other, bewildered at what is unfolding in front of them. They're lucky that Deceit was sound asleep.

"How do we know that? How do we know that you're not the one who roughed up Deceit?" Roman interrogates, pointing at him accusingly.

"I'm guessing Deceit refuses to tell you anything, correct? Don't be too hurt, he's always been like that." Lust slips into a chair, raising his eyebrows to signal the rest of them to do the same. Hesitantly, they take their seats, not tearing their eyes away from him for a second.

"The short version of the story is this; Basically, Deceit barged in one day demanding to us all that we try to overthrow you. To help Thomas embrace the darker sides of himself. We all disagreed but he kept insisting that we reveal ourselves. So to ensure he never did reveal the dark sides, in order to protect you, Thomas, the other two tortured him until he promised not to." Lust explains, looking guiltily down at the table. 

"Wait- he wanted to overthrow us?" Roman demands, visibly angry over the whole thing.

"Yes, he did. Now, I never agreed with the whole torture thing. I think they got too into it."

"Is that why he refused to tell us anything? Because he went behind our backs and tried to hurt me?" Thomas asks, starting to feel less pity for the wounded Deceit in the other room. Lust nods in response.

"He has been known to lie very often. I mean, he's tired to do that before Thomas! Don't you remember the whole wedding ordeal?" Roman jumps on the band-wagon, finding it extremely likely that Deceit was truly in the wrong.

"The question is, what do we do now?" Logan inquires, looking over at the shut door closing off Deceit from the rest of them.

"Let me care for him until he's healthy. It's the least I can do for all the trouble he's caused you." Lust offers selflessly, rising from his seat.

"Are you sure he'll be alright seeing you?" Patton asks, worried for Deceit.

"Deceit will be fine, I'm sure of it. Besides, if you all hang around him too long, your primary functions can become corrupted. I am already a dark side, so it won't affect me." Lust walks gracefully across the room to the door. His hand reaches the knob and turns it, looking back at them.

"I will keep you filled in on the details, okay?" Lust offers kindly, smiling as he steps inside and closes the door. Logan hears the clicking of the door being locked, seemingly so that no one bothers them.

 

Deceit's POV

Deceit twists and turns as his unconscious mind create replications of the trauma he endured. He can hear faint steps coming closer to him, steps that sound real. He can feel someone staring down at him, watching him as he tries to escape the dangers that aren't really there.

Deceit's eyes flicker open, coming to focus with a face he could never forget. For a second, he's sure he's still dreaming but the realness of healing pain reassures him that this is in fact real. But it can't be real. Who he is staring at can't be here right now, or could he? 

Deceit feels like he's falling right back into the mouth of hell. He gets the urge to yell out for help. Surely the others would come to his rescue, would they not? He needs to do something, he has to fight back. He takes a deep, quick breath, preparing to shout out.

A cold, clawing hand clasps around his mouth harshly as Deceit was about to scream. The face leans closer in, mischief and insanity dancing in his golden eyes.

"Morning, Love." Lust whispers into his ear, grinning madly at his vulnerable state and terrified expression.

 

Lust's POV

His former prisoner quivers under his touch, his shivering body filling Lust with such satisfaction and amusement. Deceit is so insanely petrified from this turn of events that he seemingly can't breathe, his chest shaking with effort. His eyes are wide, reflecting perfectly the storm of emotions that has just been released in his poor, shattered mind. There is such astonishment in his eyes as if he'd seen the devil itself.

Oh yes, Lust had missed this. The amount of power and dominion he has over Deceit at this moment is almost too much to bear. The best part of all of this is that this is just the beginning. He has his orders from Pride, and he will ensure that they get done, but in the meantime...

This was going to be very fun.

 


	18. Failed Deception

Deceit's POV

This can't be happening. He had just gotten away from Lust, and here he is once more. Deceit had thought they already exhausted their need for him, so why torture him anymore? For fun? It doesn't really matter now, he's screwed anyways.

"Man, we really did a number on you..." Lust observes his expression, seeing every emotion flash in his eyes, from fear to disbelief to despair.

His reptilian instincts kick in immediately, pushing and kicking Lust off of him. Deceit manages to slip an arm between Lust's, shoving him in the other direction as he jumps out of the bed. In a whirl of color, Deceit finds himself on the ground on all four. Scrambling onto his feet, Deceit bolts towards the door in a wild panicked state.

"Hel--" He calls out rawly as Lust's arm wraps around his throat and pulls him backwards. His hand returns to its place over Deceit's mouth, keeping the words he wanted to yell so badly trapped inside.

"Ah, ah, ah. I don't think so, my friend." Lust tuts his tongue directly into his ear, watching as Deceit tries to jerk his head away. Lust tightens his choke-hold on his prisoner to make him submissive.

"Look at you! You get away from me for no more than a week, and you're already back to fighting back. Don't you remember what happens when we resist?" Lust reminds him. Deceit freezes in his arms, hands gripping at Lust's forearm. He has a choice. Either fight back to free himself, or give in now to save himself the pain. 

 _'No. There's no way we're just gonna give ourselves up!''_ A voice urges, his fingers clawing around Lust's arm tighter as they ready to break away.

 _'You have to be joking! Don't you remember what he did to you? Do you really want to be back in that place again? That HELL?!'_ Another panicked thought retorts, crushing the hope that rises ever so slowly in his chest. 

His thoughts are going in circles, some bringing him just a little further out of complete bleakness, and others dragging him further in. It's like he's stuck at the bottom of a well, clawing desperately at the wet stone bricks to climb out, only to slide down to the bottom once more. A fruitless effort. A pointless war. It's hopeless he knows, but the thoughts refuse to stop tearing each other to pieces in order to build themselves back up. He just has to choose one side. He needs to choose wether to surrender, or to fight until the last moment.

Suddenly, Deceit's hands release from Lust's choke-hold, falling back to his sides. His heart falters, realizing the decision he had made involuntarily. The want to cry rises in his tight chest as Lust's hold on him loosens, sensing submission from the shaking side in his arms.

"See? Was that so hard, Darling?" Deceit flinches at his old nickname.

Yes. It is harder than Lust can even imagine. He would have to be severely traumatized to give up so suddenly, even if all he wanted to do was break free and run for the door.

"I'm going to let go of you, alright? If you so much as speak, I'll drag you so far into madness that the only way to get out will be to end your own life. Understand?" Lust whispers closely into his ear so that Deceit feels his breath on the delicate skin of his neck. Deceit swallows hard, a lump rising in his throat.

Lust shoves Deceit forward onto the stiff, hospital-like bed. Deceit quickly flips himself onto his back, resting on his elbows as he stares up at Lust with teary, horrified eyes. Lust smirks at him, noticing that even his threatening snake-eye is enlarged to reflect the dismay uncovered in his mind.

"They really patched you up, huh?" Lust points to the bandages wrapped around his exposed torso. Deceit backs into the furthest corner of the bed, struck into silence by his own pathetic act of yielding.

"So, you're probably wondering why I am here..." Lust begins, taking a seat at the edge of his bed. Deceit stares at him in quiet hesitation, cautious of his every single movement.

"Well, the short answer is that I just missed having my little pet around." Lust winks at him, watching as Deceit immediately goes stiff at the title. A gloomy shadow falls over his downcast face. He hates everything about this. He despises that he can't bring himself to attack, due to the immense terror of what Lust would do to him. It's so strange how he had gone from a ferocious cornered animal to submissive prey in the matter of minutes. All because of Lust.

"But we've also got big plans, so I needed to get inside of here." Lust admits, watching him closely for a spark of rebellion to flare into a wildfire. It doesn't come, lost in the stormy clouds that intrude his eyes.

"Wow, you're really afraid aren't you?" Lust moves closer, tilting his head mockingly. Deceit shuts his eyes tight, his face pulled into a grimace as he waits to be struck harshly. It never comes. Instead, Deceit feels a soft hand run along the scales on his face gently in a sort of parental way, causing a lukewarm sick feeling to rise in his stomach.

" _Perfect..._ " Lust purrs, tilting his chin up ever so slightly to observe the faint bruising lining his face. Deceit opens his eyes, staring directly up at the ceiling, wishing to be literally anywhere else than here. Hell, he'd rather be dead.

He nearly jumps out of his skin when a knock comes at the door.

"Deceit? Are you alright in there?" Logan's voice calls. Lust turns to him once more, grinning.

"Act like everything is fine. Don't you dare blow this..." Lust spits at him, jabbing a finger into his healing ribs. Deceit whimpers quietly, clamping down on his teeth to keep a cry inside.

"I'm coming in." Logan announces, turning the doorknob slowly.

 

Logan enters first, followed by Thomas, Roman, and Patton. Deceit finds himself wondering where Virgil is, but soon forgets. Lust no longer sits so close to Deceit, taking his seat in front of the bed. This calms Deceit down a little more. He finds himself a little worried for them, not knowing how Lust will react when they discover him.

"Hello there!" Lust greets with a warm smile. Deceit blinks blankly at them. They know who Lust is? They  _let_ him in here? Do they not realize what they've just let in?

Do they even care?

"How is everything going?" Patton asks, clearly not picking up on Deceit's bewildered expression like the rest of them.

"Very well, Patton. Right, Deceit?" Lust faces him again with a fake act of empathy. A flicker of threat lying in his eyes warns Deceit.

"Deceit?" Lust repeats after 20 seconds of unresponsive silence.

"-Yeah- uh- yeah everything is gr-great." Deceit winces at the obvious stutter in his voice, hoping they didn't pick up on it. Logan's eyebrows narrow, studying Deceit's strange facial expression.

"Are you alright?" Roman inquires. Deceit can feel Lust's stare melting into the side of his face.

 _'Play the role. Act like yourself, or they'll all know.'_ Deceit urges to himself, begging his body to stop shaking.

"Why don't we discuss the whole situation." Logan offers, taking a seat aswell. They all follow his lead, picking up on the suspicion lacing his voice.

"I don't think Deceit is ready to talk about everything yet, right?" Lust hints, looking over at Deceit once more.

"He'll be fine." Logan responds harshly, leaving them no choice. Lust leans back into his chair, crossing one leg over the other carelessly.

"So Deceit, I want you to tell me why the dark sides broke your ribs." Logan leans forward, interrogating the very fragile side. Deceit's eyes noticeably flick from Logan to Lust. Lust rolls his eyes, sensing an imminent reveal of what and who he really is.

"Well, -uh- they took a lead- pipe and--"

"No. Not  **how** they did it.  **Why** did they do it? What was their motive?" Logan cuts him off, keeping a cold gaze on him.

"I don't-know-"

"Falsehood. You do know, and you need to tell me right now." Logan orders him. Deceit looks to Lust again, but is directed back to Logan, who snaps in front of his face.

"Don't look at him. Look at me, you can tell me anything." Logan insists.

"I don't think this is necessar-" Lust begins to add.

"Shut it." Logan puts up one finger to Lust, signalling to him to keep his mouth shut. Lust bites back on his temper, letting out a frustrated exhale.

"Why did they torture you, Deceit?" Logan repeats the question, watching Deceit's mouth open slightly as if pondering if he should say.

A feeling of security rises in Deceit as he stares at the people around him. They can protect him from Lust,  ~~can't they?~~ Deceit takes a deep breath, drowning out the millions of voices in his head begging him not to say anything, to just stay quiet and accept his fate. He can do this. He  **must** do this.

"They.." Deceit begins to say, trailing off. Logan looks at him expectingly, waiting for his answer. Lust looks ready to whip him into a bloody mess, his eyes faintly twitching with anger.

Deceit summons the remaining courage he has, knowing full well that he will most likely pay dearly for what he’s about to do. 

“They wanted to know your we—-“ Lust suddenly leaps from his seat, grabbing Deceit and quickly placing him back in a chokehold. The others stand up as well, shocked by the sudden trigger. 

Roman moves towards them, ready to save Deceit, who is pulling and struggling as much as he can. If he’s going to be doomed, he may as well try everything.

Almost immediately, Deceit feels a thin, cold, sharp blade press against his throat. He freezes, holding his breath as he watches everyone’s faces change like a switch had been flipped. Roman, who had been ready to charge, was now stepping backwards with his hands up submissively. He swallows, his throat contracting slightly which presses the blade against him.

”Now, now. I cannot allow you to reveal that, my dear pet.” Lust mocks from directly behind his right ear.

”It’s strange how quickly you change when shown even the faintest glimmer of hope...” Lust observes him, disappointed in the progress that he had just lost in breaking in his victim.

”Lust—“ Deceit begins to say but silences himself when Lust presses the knife harder against him, threatening to draw blood.

”You know what that tells me, Love?” List sneers at the rest of them madly, who remain silent out of the sudden fear.

” **You haven’t suffered enough yet.** ” 

 


	19. Retelling and Reliving

Deceit's POV

He feels his world crumbling around him as the others stare at the scene in utter astonishment. Deceit can feel Lust's sadistic grin from behind him as he readjusts his grip on the knife so that Deceit can barely breathe without threatening to slice his own neck open.

"Put the knife down." Logan urges, taking a slow step towards the two with his hands up to show he has nothing.

"That's close enough, teach!" Lust yells out maniacally, causing Logan to stop his steady trek immediately.

"You won't do it." Roman eggs him on pridefully. Lust laughs in response.

"Oh, believe me, I will! Do you know how much of a pain in the ass this little snake can be?" Lust shouts back, his voice tweaking with insanity.

"Lust--" Deceit manages to choke the words out, careful not to move too much.

"Deceit, my darling, you know how much I absolutely adore when you plead for me not to hurt you, but now isn't the time." Lust cuts him off, hissing into his ear very closely.

"This isn't necessary--" Deceit tries again.

"Say one more thing, and as much as it pains me, I will slit your pretty, pink throat open and watch you bleed out on the floor. Got it?" That shuts him up. A part of Deceit is completely horrified of the thought of dying, yet another part is considering it better than whatever was just about to happen. Still, the fear of the unknown is what keeps him in line. What happens to them if a side dies? What happens to Thomas? He doesn't know and doesn't want to find out.

"Let's just talk this out..." Thomas interjects, trying to diffuse the situation.

"What a brilliant idea! Why don't you all take a seat, hmm?" Lust orders, tilting his head at the chairs surrounding them. Thomas glances at his sides quickly, and slowly takes a seat without breaking eye contact with Lust. They all do the same, following his lead.

"Now let's see...what should we start with?" Lust ponders dramatically.

"Oh! I've got one! How about I tell poor little Deceit about how you all betrayed him?" Deceit watches their expressions shift to one of shocked guilt. He's confused, wondering how they could have 'betrayed' him.

"So Love, did you know that they just let me walk into here? Did they tell you that they believed my lies and sent me in here to deal with you?" Lust watches Deceit's eyebrows narrow in disbelief. His eyes go across each of their faces, which are ones of shame and remorse. Lust chuckles faintly, watching as Deceit's jaw drops open in dismay. Lust has to be lying. There's no way they would--no--there's no way **could**  do that. Right?

Deceit can feel the blood running through his veins freeze as he realizes what Lust said is true.

"Heartbreaking, right? I mean, after all, you went through to keep them safe..." Lust continues on, feeling the mood of the room flip instantly. He watches each of their eyes widen in bewilderment, except for Logan's. Logan knows the extent of Deceit's injuries, but he had never really told the others how bad they were.

"Oh, I get it... You didn't tell them, did you?" Lust gapes in sarcastic shock. Deceit shuts his eyes in denial. This can't be happening. Lust can't do this to him, not after everything that has happened.

"Why don't I tell them?" Lust offers with a wide, manic smile. He can feel air rush into his lungs and opens his mouth, ready to beg him not to. What stops him is the increase in pressure from the knife digging into his skin.

"Don't worry, Deceit. I'll be sure to fill them in on  _every single detail_." Thomas, Patton, and Roman have no idea what is going on. They knew only the basics, that he had his ribs broken and got major whipping across his back. They had no idea that there was so much more to it.

"I'm sure you all know about the whipping. Fairly boring... no flair, you know? But the ribs, masterfully done, if I do say so myself." Lust appears to be proud of all of this, filling each of them with a disgusting hot feeling.

"Here, why don't I show you?" Lust begins to unwrap his torso, causing Deceit to jerk away in panic. Lust pulls him back tighter, creating a small slit in his throat. Deceit can feel tears threaten to spill from him as he feels the blade bite into his skin ever so gently. Lust continues to unwrap the many layers of white gauze. They all stare in quiet expectation.

"Lust--pl...please don't--" Deceit quietly prays to him, so quiet that no one else could hear. Lust snickers at him, refusing to stop while he's ahead.

Deceit squeezes his eyes shut as the gauze drops to his feet, revealing his bare torso to everyone. A conjoined gasp of horror sounds as they stare at the deeply bruised skin surrounding strange protrusions in his ribs. 

Lust laughs lowly at their shock and runs one hand across Deceit's fractured ribs. Deceit shudders in his grasp, sucking air through his teeth as quietly as he can, a tingling fire starting where his fingers grazed.

"I know, beautiful isn't it?" Lust comments, tilting his head in a mocking way.

"What about the waterboarding? Do you all know about that?" A small sob comes from Patton, which startles Deceit. He sees tears streaming down Patton's face, his eyes glazed over with deep sadness and horror.

"Water-waterboarding?" Thomas mutters in disbelief. Logan simply exhales deeply and shuts his eyes, rethinking everything that he did to allow it to get this far.

"Oh yes! Lot's of it. What was it, an hour in a freezing ice bath?" Lust teases at Deceit, who can barely breathe as he remembers it all. The cold water pressing against him...the numbing rush of it entering his throat and lungs. He shivers just thinking of it.

"Maybe one of my favourites was the shock torture, right darling?" Deceit stares up at the ceiling in an effort to stop the tears from running down his face. Roman covers his face with his hands and runs them through his neatly combed hair.

"How you screamed when I flipped that switch was absolutely perfect. It even left these threads of electric burns seared into the skin on his veins, see?" Lust points to the strings of burns that trails from his arms subtly. Now, Patton has broken into a mess of loud sobbing and crying. Even hearing of all of this was too much to bear for the sweet side.

"And how could I forget the brands seared onto Deceit's wrists?" Lust asks himself, grabbing hold of Deceit's forearm and tearing the bandages off. They all hear a quiet whimper come from Deceit as the deep red, raw burns are revealed. Blisters have formed around his wrists in small, painful patches that are shiny with pus and tight skin.

"Oops, almost forgot the beatings! Now those were very, very gruesome and pitiful to watch--"

"Enough!" Thomas suddenly yells out, unable to listen to any more of it.

"That's-that's enough..." He repeats, rubbing the tears from his eyes. Silence falls between them all, only the sound of Patton's sobbing meeting them. Deceit's face has gone red and is burning with shame.

"I would've done so much more, but the other dark sides insisted we let him escape." Lust says nonchalantly.

The blood rushing in his head goes silent. Deceit's breath dissipates in his lungs immediately at Lust's words.

"Let-let me escape--?" Deceit stutters in bewilderment.

"Whoopsie, already said too much... Don't worry darling, you'll know shortly." Lust assures, amused by how still he went. Before he was shaking and shuddering at every touch, but now it's like he had been turned to stone.

 _'Let him escape? What the hell does that mean?'_ Deceit thinks to himself in denial. 

Suddenly, Thomas gasps for breath and falls out of his chair onto all four. All three of the sides rush to him immediately, asking if he's alright. 

"Something- something is wrong..." Thomas insists, feeling like a chunk of his mind had been taken out. Something was missing. 

"Tell me, Thomas. Tell me what's wrong. Tell me how to help you." Logan urges, laying Thomas down onto the ground on his back. Thomas can barely hear Logan's voice through Lust's insistent cackling.

"Missing- something is missing...missin-missing....." Thomas trails off, eyes closing within seconds.

"Thomas! Wake up!" Roman shakes him but gets no response. Roman watches helplessly as Thomas disappears from his arms, leaving the mind palace and reentering the real world.

"What have you done with him?" Logan demands angrily, standing and whipping around to face Lust.

"For an intellectual side, you're not very smart.. You don't notice anyone...missing?" Lust mocks. As soon as the words leave his mouth, Deceit's adrenaline pumps into full gear. He struggles slightly and stops when the feeling of his own hot blood drips down from the cut in his neck.

"What? I don't know what you're talki---"

"Virgil..." Patton says emptily, still kneeling where Thomas used to lay. He stands slowly, turning to Lust.

"What have you--done... with Virgil?" Patton asks between sobs, wiping the endless stream of tears from his red cheeks.

"Hmm...I don't know. What do you think, love?" Lust asks Deceit, whose face immediately drains of colour completely in horror. 

"They---they didn't...." Deceit mutters, saying that more to himself than anyone else.

"Yes, I'm afraid they did, darling..." Lust purrs with the evilest sneer Deceit has ever seen.

The words he was going to say vanish, seeming unimportant now. His worst fear had come to life. He should have known that was their plan. For Lust to distract them while...

While Pride and Rage get the weakness out of Virgil.

If that was the case, then they had officially won. If they had won, that means he will spend the rest of his life under Lust's sadistic control. It would mean that they would have full control over Thomas and all of his sides. It couldn't be, Virgil would never give in, right? Although, he used to say that about himself, and now look where they ended up.

"You're--ly-lying...." Deceit begs it to not be true.

As if on queue, a harsh knock comes at the door.


	20. An Impossible Desicion

Deceit's POV

They all stand in silence, staring at the door in horror. The knock comes again, this time much harder.

"Come on in!" Lust commands, gesturing to the door with his free hand, the other one still pressing a blade into Deceit's neck. Roman, Patton, and Logan jump away from the door as the knob turns slowly.

Holding his breath in suspense, Deceit watches as the door slowly creaks open. 

"Hello, everyone..." Rage's voice greets, appearing in the doorway. Deceit feels his heart drop into the bottom of his chest as Rage strolls in, approaching the light sides.

"Where-where is Virgil?" Patton demands, trying to sound as confident as possible. Patton flinches away slightly as Rage turns to him immediately, mischievously cocking his head to the side.

"Oh, don't worry. He's taken care of, for now." Pride's elegant voice announces. They all turn to see him sauntering into the room, light reflecting brilliantly off of the jewels in his crown. He quickly turns around and locks the door so nobody can escape, slipping the key into his pocket.

Patton's eyes immediately fill with tears, his face already wet from crying earlier.

"Aren't you just adorable..." Rage mocks him, stepping closer. Logan senses tension and quickly steps in front of Patton, shielding the side from Rage.

"What are you doing here?" Logan challenges him, standing with his back straight and head tilted upwards to show authority and control over the situation. Rage snickers, ignoring him completely and looking around the room, his eyes meeting Deceits. Deceit had been trying so hard to not make eye contact, but it was inevitable.

"Deceit, it's been a while." Rage acknowledges him with a boastful tweak in his voice. Deceit has nothing to say back to him, too overwhelmed to even think about all of this. Lust holding him probably wasn't helping with that.

"Ah, yes. Lust has found his plaything again...wonderful." Pride rolls his eyes. Deceit visibly turns red at the name, shuffling awkwardly in the arms of his captor.

"You honestly have no idea. He never stopped talking about you." Rage adds, watching in hilarity as Deceit squeezes his eyes shut as if trying to escape to some other realm. Lust doesn't even deny it, simply laughing along.

"Hi, yes. Thomas's logical side. Do you all want to tell me who is in charge here?" Logan interrupts in frustration, causing them to all turn to look at him. Pride steps forward, looking down on him.

"You must be the level-headed Logan that Deceit tells us so much about." Pride observes him, shrugging as if he was underwhelming. Deceit's eyes fly open, landing on Logan's confounded face.

"Wait- he told you about me?" Logan asks, clarifying to understand better.

"Ooh, I get it... you haven't told them, have you?" Pride inquires gossipingly to Deceit, who stares at him with a pleading expression.

_'Don't. Please, I'm begging you. Lust has already humiliated me enough, so don't tell them...'_ Deceit's widened eyes convey. 

"You see, innocent little Deceit over here told us your weaknesses." And there it was. The thing he had never wanted them to here was out.

Deceit feels the entire room staring at him as he tries to avoid all over their eyes at once.

"What does that mean?" Roman demands, shocked.

"Deceit let it slip that he knew all of your weaknesses, but proved to be unwilling to share them. So naturally, we had to..." Pride trails off teasingly, watching Deceit stare up at the ceiling out of shame.

"Beat it out of him." Pride finishes with a cocky smirk.

"Our weaknesses? Like what?" Logan inquires sarcastically, not believing for one second that Deceit has that kind of information. If he did, wouldn't he have just used it a long time ago to take over?

"For example, yours is your love for Patton." Patton immediately whips his head around, staring at Logan in disbelief.

"What?" Patton exclaims quite loudly, eyes wide and shining with doubt.

"That's- not-..." Logan stumbles over his words, blushing deeply. His face is hot as he shifts awkwardly under the gaze of everyone.

"No-- heh- that's not- right? That can't be..right--" Logan falters. Deceit's eyes finally meet Logan's, who stares at him with total betrayal and surprise in his eyes.

"What does- our personal lives have anything to do with this?" Logan quickly recovers, flicking back to Pride.

"Oh, simply  _everything_ , Romeo. You see, with your weakness I can manipulate you by...let's say  **torturing** Patton." Pride smirks at Patton, who shrinks down out of fear. Logan still finds himself slightly shifting his posture so that he blocks Patton from Pride.

"And vice-versa, since Patton so lovingly declared his love for you to me." Lust adds in, winking at Logan. 

"Even you, Roman. All we would have to do to you is humiliate you, which you can see Lust is very good at." Rage says to Roman, who has been trying to stay out of it for the most part.

"So really, the only question is what to do now?" Lust asks, still holding Deceit with a knife at his throat.

"We will, of course, need to move all of the light sides to the darker side of Thomas's mind, where they will be imprisoned like Virgil."

"Im-Imprisoned?" Patton stutters.

"We will need you all in some capacity, yes. And if you don't want to help us...well, just look where that got Deceit." Rage implies, gesturing to him again.

"Yes, that reminds me. Lust, would you kindly release Deceit?" Pride remembers, spinning around on his heel to ask Lust.

"Do I have to? I mean... he's just so warm." Lust teases, whispering into Deceit's ear. 

"Lust.." Pride rolls his eyes, pointing at Deceit and then at the ground.

"You're no fun." Lust mocks, finally releasing his blade from his prisoner's throat, and pushing him away.

Deceit immediately falls onto the ground, quickly flipping himself onto his back and kicking away from Lust desperately. A hand goes up to his throat to ensure that he's not bleeding severely.

"You see Deceit, we have sort of run into a slight problem..." Pride begins, kneeling down to his level. Deceit is breathing heavily, ribs aching from the harsh landing.

"We need all four of the dark sides in order to fully control Thomas, so that means we need you." Deceit stares at him, looking for a hint of humour in his eyes to show he was just screwing with him. There's none there, only malicious intent and self-absorption.

"You--you- need me...?" Deceit says back to him, doubtful that any of them would find him useful in any way, considering all they've ever called him is useless and pathetic.

"Now, we could do this the hard way. Where Lust has to beat you every single day until you fully cooperate with us, or you can simply join us. How does that sound?" Pride suggests simply.

Deceit has nothing to say. Are they truly asking Deceit to join them after they've abused and humiliated him? His thoughts cannot be simply described at this moment. On one hand, he wouldn't be mercilessly punished every single day. On the other... he would be controlled by them forever and be forced to watch the other sides pain. Sure, Pride is putting it as 'Work with us', but that really means 'Do whatever we say and we won't beat the hell out of you'.

"Think about it, hmm? No more torture, or humiliation, or pain..." Pride convinces with a dreamy tone, hearing a faint annoyed sigh from Lust who doesn't want to lose his favourite plaything.

Pride is lying. He will face humiliation every single day as he works alongside the very people who had broken him in. He will feel such terrible guilt as he watches the light sides being beaten into submission. How could he live with himself?

"I-I--" Deceit stammers, digging his fingernails into the floor beneath him. They have faced him with an impossible choice.

"Come on, Deceit... don't you think you've done your fair share of protecting? Look how far that got you..." Rage now joins in, kneeling down on his other side.

Deceit finds himself tearing up slightly. He doesn't know what to do. The dark sides are right, look at what they've done to him because he tried to do what was right. Shouldn't Deceit, of all sides, be allowed to be evil? Why in the world does that feel so wrong? If this was happening to Thomas, Deceit would've tried to convince him to turn on the others in a heartbeat.

"Deceit, don't do it--!" Lust clenches his fist, causing Roman to silence himself with his own hand. Deceit turns to look at Roman, but Pride grabs a hold of his chin and forces Deceit's eyes back to his.

"Don't make this harder for yourself. They don't even care about you. They proved that pretty quickly when they believed Lust's stupid lie and let him in here." Pride insists. 

That is true. They were very quick to turn on him, but can he blame them? Up until this point, Deceit had done every single thing to try to make Thomas a worse person.

God, he doesn't know what to do. He's looking between each of them, searching for an answer in one of their faces.

Logan is dumbfounded, mouth hanging open with shock. 

Patton is clinging onto Logan, terrified of the dark sides.

Roman is incredibly angry, still holding a hand over his own mouth.

"I'll make this even easier for you and let you in on a little secret, alright?" Pride begins, visibly annoyed with how long this was taking.

"We let you escape." Once the words leave Pride's lips, Deceit's head whips to his in an instance.

"No- you...you didn't..." Deceit mutters in denial, thinking back to what Lust had let slip earlier. Rage snickers under his breath, placing a hand on Deceit's shoulder which causes him to flinch instinctively.

"Do you really think I would be so careless to shove you into a table and let weapons scatter across the floor? Did you really believe that the door between you and the door to freedom was so stupidly left unlocked?" Rage teases him. 

Deceit's eyes drop to the floor, wide and teary. The realization hits him. It had been far too easy and convenient for him to escape. 

"Face it, Love. You only escaped because we  **allowed** you to." Lust mocks at him with his signature creepy sneer.

"So, if you don't accept this deal right now, it is proven that you will never ever escape us." Pride threatens.

_'Oh my God. They're right, they'll never let me go. I'll never get out of there.'_ He thinks to himself, hopelessly trapped inside his own head.

"Choose. Now." Pride insists. 

This is it, he has to choose right here, right now. There's no more time to wait, there's no more time to stall. Deceit needs more time, but he can't have any. So it comes down to this moment.

_'What the **hell** am I going to do?' _Is the only thought that immediately reaches him.

It's a lose-lose situation. Either he is remorselessly tortured for the rest of his life, or he gives in and allows them to control him, and be forced to watch the light sides undergo the same abuse he went through.

Either option he chooses ends with Pride and the other dark sides owning him for the rest of his life.

Deceit just has to decide if he can really handle more **torment** , or if he can live with **giving up**.


	21. Too Far Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know! It's been a couple of days. I'm so sorry for the wait, I've had to study for exams to worry about. This chapter is a little shorter than the others and I did want to make it longer but didn't have the time. I promise the next chapter will be longer.  
> I'm curious, what has been your favourite chapter so far? Let me know in the comments!
> 
> I'll try my best to update tomorrow!  
> Till next time~Starry <3

Deceit's POV

"Okay let's just talk about this..." Logan urges, stepping towards Deceit with Patton following closely behind, still gripping onto his shoulders for protection.

"I think you have said enough, sweetheart." Lust mocks him playfully.

"I mean, after all, Logan is the one who revealed us to Thomas and made this all possible..." Lust continues convincingly. Deceit, still visibly conflicted, looks up at Lust as he also draws closer.

"I mean, do you really want to be tortured for  _them_? Are you really willing to be humiliated and punished for the people who sold you back to your masters?" Deceit hates to admit it, but Lust is right. Logan did go against his warnings and tell Thomas anyways. Why should he suffer for what they have done? Hasn't he paid enough in blood?

Logan senses the switch in Deceit's mind as his eyes fix blankly fix on the ground.

"That's not entirely the case. You see--" Logan begins.

"He's- he's right." Deceit states suddenly, silencing Logan. Patton comes out from behind Logan.

"But- Deceit you care about us, don't you? You care about Thomas. You can't let this happen...right?" Patton says in a tearjerking tone, his eyes red and swollen from the constant crying. A choked noise of terrible sadness comes from Patton when Deceit shakes his head slowly.

"No-it's over...it's over. It didn-didn't matter what I did in the end. I still failed and was punished for it. I won't make that mistake again." Deceit mutters, coming to terms with the decision he was about to make.

Muffled screaming of protest comes from Roman as Deceit looks back up at Pride.

With a victorious smirk, Pride offers his hand in a handshake.

Taught silence falls over the room, waiting in wordless anticipation. It was like watching the perfect storm brewing, swirling with such ferocity while its victims stand in quiet acceptance of their fate.

Deceit reminds himself that he has no pride anymore. He had lost his sense of dignity the moment he woke up chained to a pole like an animal. Now, he had lost his purpose. Deceit doesn't even know who he is anymore. His old self would have refused and played both sides with ease. 

But thanks to a week of straight torture, he's no longer who he used to be. 

Now, it doesn't matter. Nothing matters.

Deceit grips Pride's hand and shakes it in agreement and submission.

He has officially sold his entire being to the Dark Sides.

 

Patton's POV

Patton presses himself against Logan's back, hiding behind him in fear. He watches helplessly as Deceit and Pride shake hands, closing their deal. He feels horrible, as he had a hand in causing this. Logan begins to step away from them, pushing Patton back protectively towards the door.

"Patton...open the door and run." Logan whispers, keeping his eyes on Pride. Patton squeezes his arm in protest.

"No! No, I won't leave you." Patton whispers back desperately, refusing to let go of Logan.

"I need you to get Roman and go. I can't solve anything if I'm worried about you, okay? Please, Patton." Logan begs him, voice cracking with emotion. Patton whimpers quietly, stifling a sob.

"Logan I--I--" Patton tries to push it out. He needs to say this. What if he never sees Logan again and he never got to?

"I...I love you." Patton says, his fingers slowly unclenching from Logan's shirt. Logan stiffens at these words.

"I love you too." Logan admits finally, a huge weight being lifted from his shoulders. Patton processes this for a moment, cheeks flushing warmly.

"Now please, you have to go." Logan insists. Patton nods, forcing himself to let go of Logan. Before he can hesitate, Patton turns around and sprints to the door, grabbing Roman's sleeve as he passes and pulling him along.

Patton's hands grip the doorknob and turns, but it won't budge. He forces it again, this time checking his shoulder into it. It still doesn't move.

He turns around slowly as he hears the amused cackling of Pride. 

"Doors locked boys, don't you remember?" Pride teases, holding out a key from his pocket.

"Why would we let any of our toys escape, right Deceit?" Lust taunts, winking at Logan.

"Alright, I think we've done enough playing around. It's time to get down to business." Rage declares, who has stayed mostly silent during this revelation.

"I agree. Rage, Lust, would you please incapacitate our new prisoners?" Pride orders.

"Gladly..." Lust coos, pulling a syringe from his pocket. Logan backs away quickly, arms out to defend Patton. Rage does the same, throwing the cap of the needle off to the side.

The two intimidating dark sides step towards the others, who keep stepping back like cornered animals. Patton suddenly feels Roman rip away from them both, charging recklessly at Rage. Logan does the same, convinced that they could both overpower them.

Roman and Rage clash, Roman grabbing the wrist holding the syringe. He pushes against Rage powerfully, who barely stumbles backwards in response.

"Heh, that's cute." Rage mocks, kicking a leg behind Roman's and pushing him backwards, causing Roman's leg to lock in place as he falls onto his back. Rage doesn't waste any time, immediately crawling on top of him and shoving the needle into his neck, injecting the anesthesia into his bloodstream. Roman fights back for a little longer, his eyes closing slowly as his weak punches come less frequently. He goes limp, the drug taking over completely. Rage stands back up, directing his attention to Lust.

Logan is fighting back remarkably well, refusing to fail Patton. Either that or Lust is just dragging it out for his own sick amusement. Rage rolls his eyes, approaching Logan from behind as he takes out yet another syringe.

Patton's heart leaps from his chest, sensing danger. He leaps into action, throwing himself at Rage. Rage quickly turns around, quickly sidestepping. Patton stumbles forwards, staring at his empty arms in confusion.

Patton feels an arm wrap around his throat and pulls backwards. His hands grip desperately at Rage's arm, trying to pull him away.

"Logan!!" Patton calls out to the side, who is still clashing against Lust.

Logan hesitates, turning his attention to Patton in worry. Lust uses this opportunity to grab Logan by the shirt and throw him against the wall. He uses one hand to hold Logan's wrists above his head, while his other hand flicks off the cap of the syringe threateningly.

Logan wiggles terribly in his grasp, but he's already so exhausted from their duel. He's not fit like Roman, he can't do this forever.

"Don't worry, dear friend. This won't hurt a bit..." Lust jabs the needle into his neck, smirking as he pushes down on the lever.

"NO!" Patton hollers in despair, watching helplessly as Logan's eyes flicker shut. He slides down the wall slowly, head falling to the side.

"Lo-Logan--" Patton sobs, barely noticing the prick in his neck as he stares at Logan's restful face. His fingers loosen on Rage's arm. Patton finds himself looking at how beautiful Logan appears to be, eyes closed ever so gently. He smiles slightly, his mind allowing him this sweet discovery as opposed to the harsh reality of his situation. 

The way the light flutters onto his fair skin, his lips parted ever so slightly. His hair is slightly messy like he had just gotten out of bed. But Patton wasn't ready to get out of bed. He was going to sleep. His eyes close, a graceful image of Logan painted on the inside of his eyelids. At this moment, he is okay. 

And when he wakes up, Logan will be right next to him.

 

 

Deceit's POV

Deceit watches Rage release Patton onto the ground. A lukewarm feeling of guilt comes over him. He couldn't have kept this from happening, so why does he feel responsible? Because he didn't try to help?

"Perfect. Deceit, now that you're no longer a prisoner, why don't you get dressed?" Pride offers, gesturing to Deceit's outfit hanging on a hook. Deceit hesitates before getting to his feet shakily. He holds his ribs, hoping that slight pressure would stop them from hurting as he moved. It doesn't help at all, but he can't bring himself to let go. He doesn't want them to see the bruising, but that's ridiculous... right? 

As Deceit dresses, he feels their eyes on him. His face burns, keeping himself shielded from his ~~captors~~ so they can't see the damage they caused to his body. 

He places his hat onto his head lastly, slightly styling his hair. He grabs the cane and uses it to support himself, alleviating some pressure from his healing knee.

"Good as new! Well except for the ribs and knee..." Lust mocks him, circling him playfully.

"Come. We must move our new guests to their cells." Pride claps at the other two, signalling that they should get to work.

"Hey, can I put a leash on Deceit? Just for old times sake?" Lust jokes, wrapping an arm around Deceit's shoulders. Deceit stiffens like a statue, slightly trying to pull away.

"Now, now Lust... He's working for me, remember? You don't hurt him, unless for disciplinary measures." Pride declares with arms crossed over one another.

"Disciplinary... measures?" Deceit mutters anxiously, looking to the side at Lust's smirking face.

"Oh yes, that's right. So you better behave, my dear..." Lust responds. Deceit clenches his fists at his sides, feeling hatred for himself return. He had let this all happen so what? Lust could  _discipline_ him whenever they saw fit?

"And I believe that Deceit doesn't have a room, so he needs to be kept in Lust's room." Rage adds, just for the pure amusement of watching Deceit break. Deceit shrinks down in Lust's grasp, pulling into himself in hopes of getting away from him.

"Let's get going, shall we?" Pride suggests, gesturing towards the door.

Deceit watches in helpless silence as Lust and Rage grab the light sides, preparing to drag them across the floor.

 His mouth twitches, a whispery hiss releasing from his half-closed throat. He opens his mouth to object, but finds no words coming out. Even if he could bring himself to speak out, what would he say? He made his choice and dug his own grave.

Now, he just needs to lay in it and accept what's coming to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS: Oh, and to everyone who wanted more torture, don't worry. I assure you this route will be even more painful and humiliating than the other.


	22. A Cinder in a Pile of Ash

Deceit's POV

It didn't take long for them to return to the hell Deceit had escaped mere days ago. Pride opens the door for Lust and Rage, who drag the light sides in with ease. Deceit understandably hesitates, staring into the doorway with disbelief. Disbelief that somehow he had let himself return. He promised himself the moment he left that he would never return, no matter the cost. It looks like he lied to himself for a change.

"Come now, Deceit. Won't do you any good to just stand there." Pride says, tapping his foot impatiently. He has a thought of turning and running the other way, but how far would he get before they caught him? And when they did, would it have been worth trying to escape?

No, it wouldn't. Deceit wishes for them to just shove him inwards, but he knows they won't do that. They want him to willingly walk back into his own personal hell. They want him to blame himself for his own fate, which he is just about to seal. And he has no choice but to give them exactly what they want.

Deceit puts his head down so that Pride cannot see his face, and trudges into the doorway.

 

A familiar scene greets him. Four velvet chairs surrounding a fire that has gone out. A pole off to the side, still holding handcuffs. The floor is stained with blood.  _H_ _is_ blood.

"Go put them in their cells." Pride orders to Lust and Rage who nod in response.

"Oh, and I want Logan and Patton in cells right next to each other so that they can hear one another being beaten. So they can live with the constant knowledge that they can't do anything to help who they love the most." Lust laughs maliciously under his breath at the order, looking forward to seeing how that will develop. 

Deceit remains frozen as he stares around, not able to believe that he was truly back. His eyes meet one velvet chair that is stained with dark, dried blood. He remembers his open whip wounds sticking to the fabric painfully, and can almost feel the phantom pain lingering across his back. He winces and tears his eyes away, not wanting to think about it any longer.

"Whoops, sorry about the... mess. I didn't see a point in cleaning it when we knew you were going to be brought back here." Pride mockingly apologizes, slipping into one of the clean chairs. Deceit gulps loudly, trying to look anywhere that wasn't splattered in his own blood. 

He whips around as he hears Lust and Rage returning from downstairs.

"They're all secured." Rage informs, sitting down next to Pride in his own chair. Lust does the same, giggling.

"I hope they wake up soon." He says creepily, winking at the other two.

All of their eyes fix on him again. Deceit stands awkwardly in front of them all, not really knowing what to do or where to go. He feels strange not having chains around his wrists and a metal collar fixed onto his neck.

"Well, since your working for us, why don't you take a seat?" Pride sneers, gesturing to the stained chair.

"No- I- uh- I'm good standing." Deceit stutters, not wanting to further relive those moments. 

"Come now, Deceit. Most of the blood is dried..." Lust teases him, patting the arm of the seat which is directly beside his own.

"I insist-I'm okay--" He tries to convince, but it's clear they aren't going to let this go. Why did they yearn so hard to see him humiliated and suffering?

"Now, now Deceit. You truly cannot be one of us if you can't sit with us." Rage tells him.

"You can sit in that chair, or else you'll have to make yourself comfortable in a cell downstairs..." Pride threatens with a smirk. So this was how it's going to be. They're going to use their power over him to torture him further. What is the purpose of that now? He already agreed to work for them without resisting, so why must they continue to abuse him? Entertainment?

Deceit lets out a long, defeated sigh. He hesitates before stepping towards the chair, stopping to stand directly in front of it. He glances at Pride once more, who nods mockingly, suggesting that he must do this.

Shakily, Deceit takes his seat carefully, sitting on the very edge as to not touch his own blood. He closes his eyes, hoping that it would stop the memories from coming. 

_'Say my name.'_ Lust's voice demands harshly through his head. His fists clench, shaking his head to disperse the voice.

_You aren't real._ Deceit insists to the voice, which responds with a low, amused laugh. He feels the exact agony when Lust had dug his fingers into Deceit's wounds, scraping the insides raw and forcing submission into him. The blood trickles down his wounded back and he can't take anymore. 

Deceit hears himself scream out Lust's name, unable to withstand it any longer. That victorious, dominant smile still burns itself into his mind. A face that reads "Oh, you thought that was bad? Just wait till you see what's next..."

"So what's the plan now?" Rage asks Pride, which also snaps Deceit out of his trance.

"We wait. Both Thomas and his light sides must awaken before we go any further." Pride answers, leaning backwards in his seat with his arms behind his head.

"What about that sad suck Virgil? Surely he must be awake now." Lust says, clearly eager to torture literally anyone. Rage snickers.

"Can you go two minutes without spilling someone's blood? You already did a number on him, he's probably still out. If he was awake, I'm sure we'd hear it." Rage jokes with Lust, who cackles aswell.

Deceit's jaw clenches with guilt. He hadn't even thought of Virgil. What have they done to him?

Deceit shuts down that thought immediately, changing his mind. He doesn't want to know.

"Ugh, how do you all do this every day? It is so silent without the screams of your victims." Lust complains dramatically, grinning madly when Deceit flinches in response to his words.

"What do you think, Love? Want to cure my boredom?" Lust asks him threateningly. He throws his head back, howling with laughter as Deceit's eyes widen in terror.

"Why don't you go show Deceit where he will be staying? That ought to cure your urges." Pride offers with a knowing smile.

"Yes! That's a brilliant idea. Come along, dear." Lust jumps from his seat, holding out his hand to Deceit, who slightly shakes his head at Pride in a silent plead. Pride raises his eyebrows in a taunting manner. With no one to help him and no way to refuse, Deceit reluctantly rises. He follows Lust towards the hall.

"Have fun!" Rage calls out after them. He can hear their faint laughing as he is dragged along by Lust. They pass by the kitchen, where Rage had stabbed a steak knife through his palm. He shudders, picturing the gory scene as it replays automatically through his mind.

Lust shows him to a dark staircase leading upwards. Deceit hadn't even considered that there might be more rooms in this place. That horrifies him, considering that every single room he's been in thus far has ultimately resulted in some sort of severe injury.

"So, since you don't have a room and that we can't trust you, you will be staying in my room with me." Lust says almost excitedly. Deceit stops walking for a moment, overtaken by his own dread. His legs urge him to turn the other way and sprint, but his mind pulls him in. He reminds himself that he has no choice and that it doesn't matter what happens to him. What could Lust possibly do now that was worse than everything he had already endured?

"And here we are. Ready?" Lust says as they reach a tall, black door. Lust doesn't wait for a response before he swings the door wide open, grabs Deceit by the wrist, and pulls him in.

 

Logan's POV

"Ugh..." Logan moans, squinting as he holds his hand to his head, which is aching. Everything is blurry and dark. He can remember seeing Patton in danger...and then he fell slowly downwards, succumbing to the darkness.

_Patton._ His thoughts immediately return to him. Logan sits up quickly, looking around wildly for Patton. He is greeted with only darkness. 

He attempts to pull his arms away from the wall but finds himself chained up. Logan struggles for a little longer, twisting and pulling against his restraints to no avail.

"Damn. Patton?" Logan finally gives in, shouting out to the shadows for help.

"Patton, are you there?" He calls again. No response comes. Logan spends the next twenty minutes screaming out to the silence, waiting for a voice to answer him.

"Anyone?" His voice becomes quieter and more desperate, before trailing off completely.

What's the point in calling out for help if no one is listening?

 

Deceit's POV

Lust's room is a stark red. There are no windows, only artificial light. There is one bed with black sheets and an elegant, yet simple frame. Just like the dungeon he spent his agonizingly long days in, there are many places on the walls to chain a prisoner. It doesn't surprise Deceit, considering how obsessed Lust is with beating people into submission.

"What do you think?" Deceit has nothing to say to Lust. He thought that making this choice would lead to less pain, less humiliation. But so far, nothing has changed. Except that this time he is clothed.

"Speechless, as always." Lust teases, walking over to the corner of the room. 

"This is where you will be sleeping." Lust gestures to a small cage that is barely big enough to fit him. He must have looked absolutely defeated, as Lust's maniacal cackling returns.

"Why?" Is the only thing Deceit can say. He regrets asking when Lust comes up behind him, placing his hands on his shoulders. Deceit sucks air through his teeth, awaiting some sort of pain to come. The mere presence of Lust behind him is enough to drive him mad.

"Why not?" Is the only answer he gets. 

"I'm serious." Deceit announces, sounding more hostile than he intended. He whips around to face Lust, tearing his hands off of his shoulders.

"Why? You all said this would stop!" Deceit yells, eyes blazing fiercely as he glares at Lust. Lust's face has lit up with amusement, seemingly feeding off of his frustration and mental torment.

"You have to prove it, Darling. You can't expect us to really believe that you're going to listen." Lust mocks him, noticing Deceit roll his eyes.

"Oh, please! If you're going to be a sick  _freak_ than you may as well admit it! This isn't part of your plan! This is simply because your so demented that inflicting pain on others gets you off!" Deceit hollers at him. His old reptilian tone sneaks into his voice, dripping with disgust and wrath. For one shining moment, he isn't a side who was relentlessly tortured for days. He isn't the side who begged for the pain to stop so pathetically.

At this moment, he is Deceit. The dark, sarcastic, and mysterious side of Thomas who plays everyone like chess pieces. He is confident and cold. He has control of the situation in his gloved hands. 

He is himself.

"You're  _lying_ to yourself, you pathetic son of a---"

What cuts Deceit off is an unexpected backhand from Lust. In an instance, his confidence is ripped painfully away from him. He's back to being the pawn in the game, and Lust is the chess master. Lust gets to do whatever he wants to him and he can't do a thing.

He shrinks down in fear, covering his face timidly as Lust raises his hand, ready to strike him again. Deceit hears a long exhale and glances up quickly to see Lust lowering his hand as if he reeled himself back.

"See? That's the difference, Love. If you behave, then this won't happen. But if you don't...well it's going to be a lot worse than one slap. Got it?" Lust warns him with an insane smirk. Deceit nods quickly, one hand still holding the stinging side of his face.

"So, you're going to sleep in that cage, right?" Lust inquires teasingly, knowing that he doesn't really have a choice. He just wants to hear Deceit accept it.

"-Yes." Deceit replies emptily, looking with a vanquished gaze over to his new 'bed'.

"And you're going to like it?" Lust continues to mock him.

"....Yes."

 

Patton's POV

Patton can hear someone calling for him. Is it Roman? Virgil? Logan?

Logan.

Patton sits up quickly, heart beating heavily at the thought of Logan in danger. He tries to get up immediately but is forced back down. His wrists are chained to the wall.

"Patton?" Logan's voice calls out once more, tweaked with desperation. Patton tries to call back, but the words don't leave his mouth. His mouth is taped shut.

Patton begins rattling the chains loudly, making any noise he can to give Logan some indication. Logan continues to call out his name, unable to hear him.

He can feel his eyes watering, tears sliding down his cheeks. This is torture. All he wants to do is comfort Logan, but he can't. 

"Anyone?" Logan's voice is quieter, more like a last testament than a cry for help. By now, Patton is a sobbing mess. He needs to comfort him, he needs to be there for him.

But he can't.

Logan's voice doesn't come again, telling Patton that he had given up. He would give anything to hear that voice again and to respond.

Patton doesn't know which is worse; Being truly alone, or having someone not be able to know you're really there.

 

Roman's POV

Roman opens his eyes softly, greeted with nothing but more darkness, almost like his eyes were still closed. He's upright, that much he can tell. A cold wall is pressed against his bare back, and his wrists and ankles seem to be chained onto it. He considers calling out to someone but decides against it. He doesn't want anyone to see him like this. In fact, he'd rather stay here for the rest of his pathetic existence than face the others.

 Roman feels...embarrassed. Ashamed even, that he let himself get caught into this predicament. He should've been stronger, he should have resisted more for Thomas. He let Thomas down.

Those words repeat through his head endlessly as he stands half-naked, pinned to a wall.

Roman had let Thomas down.

 


	23. An Act of Rebellion

Deceit's POV

Deceit didn't sleep that night. Between his claustrophobic accommodations and the constant fear of Lust suddenly deciding to beat him, how could he? The room creaked and whined so often that Deceit thought it was intentional. Every time it made any sound, he would flush with white-hot adrenaline, unable to do anything in the small cage he was confined in. But Deceit couldn't make any sound, as Lust slumbered not too far from where we was. He guessed that waking Lust would land him in a world of pain.

Now, Deceit lays on his side, curled up into a ball as he cannot stretch out. His limbs ache from being so tightly folded, and he doesn't know how much longer he can take it. His ribs are panging in rhythm with his heart, which thumps weakly out of pure tiredness. There aren't any windows, so there's no way to tell the time. No ticking of any clocks can be heard, just the soft steady snoring of Lust. 

All he can do is wait it out, just like the old days.

 

Time passes, he doesn't know how long. Deceit finally sees Lust sit up, stretching out his arms restfully. Lust's eyes land on him, and in an instant his face goes from one of content to one of malicious pleasure.

"Morning, Darling. I forgot you were in here." Lust greets him, just staring at Deceit in his pathetic little cage.

"Let me out." Deceit growls, clawing his fingers around the steel bars until they turn white with pressure. He is already feeling just as bad as before, exhaustion bringing back some of the pain he had taught himself to ignore.

"I'll consider it if you ask politely." Lust mocks him with a stern look. Deceit slams his hand against the bars furiously, baring his teeth grievously.

" _Now!_ " Deceit shouts. Lust's head tilts teasingly, raising an eyebrow as if to force something from him. He's waiting for Deceit to give in to his demand. Waiting to see how long it'll take before his confidence breaks.

Deceit just wants to be let out, he can barely breathe in here.

"....Please." Deceit mumbles, avoiding Lust's gaze.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Lust fakes, cupping a hand over his ear. Deceit puts his temper in check, forcing himself back into the mindset of a prisoner.

They can do whatever they want to him, and for him to survive he needs to obey.

The rules are simple, he won't get hurt if he behaves. 

"Please! Please let me out." Deceit repeats louder, face red with shame.

"Well, since you asked so nicely.." Lust takes a brass key from his pocket and unlocks the padlock, which falls to the ground. Deceit pushes the door of the cage open violently, nearly hitting Lust with it. He crawls out quickly, body screaming in pain as he unfolds himself. Deceit lays sprawled out on the ground, gulping down air to quiet his nerves.

"That was an overreaction. You weren't even in there for that lon--- oh, that's right..." Lust observes Deceit fold his arms around his torso, holding his ribs desperately.

"Yes, the broken ribs. That makes much more sense, silly me!" Lust cackles while Deceit stares up at him murderously. If he wasn't so stiff and sore he might've jumped up and choked the life out of him.

"Anyways, we've got to get going. We'll be late for breakfast." Lust says as he finishes laughing, wiping tears from his eyes.

"And let me warn you, Love. You don't want to be late when it comes to Pride..." Lust warns him.

Deceit lets out a sigh, squeezing his eyes shut as he rises onto all four. His knee aches in response to the pressure, but he continues upwards until he's on his feet, leaning against the cage for support.

"Here." Lust tosses him his cane, noticing how he struggles to stand. Deceit catches it, staring at his former captor in suspicion and surprise.

"What? I'm not carrying you again." Lust says sarcastically, opening the door for Deceit. Deceit scowls at him before limping out of the door, trying to act like he wasn't relying so heavily on the walking cane. He hears Lust giggle, seeing straight through his guise as usual.

 

Deceit continues to slowly descend back down the stairs, careful not to fall. Lust leads him into the dining room and he immediately notices the blood stain on the table cloth, along with shackles nailed to the table. He looks over to Pride and Rage, who are already sitting down.

"Please, join us." Pride gestures to the chair he sat in when they stabbed a knife through his hand. Deceit feels his anger cross across his face, hatred and threat dancing from one pupil to the other. 

 He exhales deeply, letting the resentment of the other sides release with his breath. Deceit hobbles behind the chair, grabbing the back of it tightly as he tries to muster up the courage to sit down.

He forces himself to move, sliding it out and slipping in quietly. He has to sit up straightly as to not irritate his ribs, which hurt so badly it makes his stomach turn.

"Good. Now that we're all here, we must discuss what to do with poor Thomas and his light sides." Pride announces to the group.

"Thomas hasn't woken up yet, his mind frantically attempting to put the pieces of himself back together. He's in a state of panic at the moment." Rage tells them all, looking bored of waiting around.

"Very good, a state of panic is always easy to manipulate. And the other sides? How are they?" Pride turns to Lust.

"I haven't checked on them today, but I assume they are also panicking." 

"Why don't you take Deceit and go 'check' on them? When we confront Thomas, they need to be weakened." Pride offers with a sly smile. Lust immediately rises from his seat once more and bows to the table.

"With pleasure..." He says calmly with a smooth voice.

"Why- Why do I have to go?" Deceit inquires cautiously as Lust comes up behind him, gesturing towards the door.

"I'm sorry, were you under the assumption that it was optional? Go." Rage snaps at him quickly. Surprised by Rage's sudden outburst, it takes Deceit a couple of seconds to actually stand up. Swiping his cane from Lust, who holds it teasingly, Deceit limps after him. Together, they descend into the basement.

 

"So, who should we visit first, hmm?" Lust asks him playfully, running a hand along the stone walls of the dungeon. Deceit doesn't respond, staring blankly down at the ground as he follows Lust. He doesn't want to see the other sides, scared of what memories might reanimate at the site of them. He is also afraid to see what he subjected them to and watch the hate enter their eyes once they see him. It doesn't look like he has much of a choice.

"How about....this one?" Lust stops suddenly, slamming a hand on one of the steel doors. A scared whimper sounds from behind the door, but Deceit can't place which side it was.

"Who is behind that door?" Deceit asks grimly, all of their faces flashing momentarily into his head. Lust grins at him, not giving him an answer as he unlocks the door.

"Want to find out?" Lust adds jokingly as he opens the door slowly.

 

Deceit peers into the dark room as the door swings open, illuminating it with light. A figure is staring back at him, eyes wide with fear. His hands are chained to the wall behind him clenched into balls.

Lust subtly pushes him in against his will. He wasn't ready to go yet, but it didn't matter.

Deceit takes a couple more steps in, finally focusing on the face of the prisoner.

"Patton...?" Deceit inquires softly, recognizing his warm, sad eyes immediately. Also, he still wears his light blue shirt, but his cardigan is on the other side of the room. His mouth is taped shut, shiny with the wetness of tears.

A distraught whine comes from Patton, who stares eagerly at Deceit. He's practically begging him to release him, but he can't. Deceit knows that if he even attempts to help Patton, Lust would make sure he regretted it.

At least he isn't injured...yet. Lust approaches him and Patton immediately struggles.

"Shh...it's okay my Dear." Lust coos, running his fingers through Patton's fluffy, dishevelled hair soothingly. Without hesitation, Lust rips the tape from Patton's mouth, who screams out instantly.

"Where-- what is happening?" Patton demands, trying to force authority into his own voice. Lust chuckles at him, raising an eyebrow.

"You have nothing to worry about." Lust says with a sneer. Deceit knows he's lying, and so does Patton.

 "Wait--Patton?" Logan's voice calls out from the room beside them. It's faint, but its definitely Logan's voice.

"Logan! I'm - I'm here!" Patton yells out, pulling at his restraints. Deceit sees an idea flash into Lust's head, due to the way his eyes darken with menace.

"Patton- I- I don't know where we are. Are you alright?" Logan demands, obviously trying to keep his voice calm as to not panic Patton. It's clear to Deceit that he is in fact deeply scared and struggling to hide his emotions.

"Yes! I am okay! Are you hurt?" Patton responds. Deceit sees the worry in his face and feels guilty for what he has done to them.

Lust starts snickering as he stands up and turns to Deceit.

"Stay here with that one..." Lust orders as he walks past, and out the door. Deceit hears the door lock, diminishing any thoughts of escape immediately.

"Deceit, Deceit you have to help us." Patton pleads him, eyes shining with tears of desperation. Deceit remains silent, clenching his jaw guiltily.

"Please!" Patton screams at him, twisting his wrists in his chains.

"I--I can't." Deceit says quietly so that Lust doesn't hear him. 

"Wait- what are you doing! Hey--!" Logan screams out from the other side. Deceit hears Lust shushing him, followed by more of Logan's cries of resistance. Patton remains in stunned silence, waiting for more voices to come. None do, and they both fear the worst. 

That is until the door behind them both opens again. Deceit turns around slowly. 

Lust stands in the doorway holding Logan tightly, one hand over his mouth. A deep gash has already appeared on Logan's forehead.

Lust shoves him into the room and he tumbles onto the ground, causing a surprised and horrified sound from Patton.

"Logan--?! What are-" Patton begins to ask. Lust approaches Logan, who remains on the ground, trying to get up. Lust kicks him back down with a mad cackle. Patton cries out more than Logan does.

Deceit shuts his eyes tightly, finally understanding what Lust is doing. He knows their weaknesses are each other, so in order to weaken both of them, he only has to beat one while the other watches. That is cruel, even for Lust. A pang of heavy guilt presses down on him, knowing that in some small way, he had something to do with this. He is partly responsible for what Lust is doing, as he is the one who revealed at least Logans weakness. 

Deceit winces slightly, hearing Patton's heart-wrenching wailing as Logan is consistently beaten into the ground.

"Wha-What do you want!!" Patton cries out, sobbing terribly. Deceit forces his eyes to open once more as the sounds stop. Lust is standing over Logan, gripping the collar of his black shirt in his hand.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing I want from you." Lust admits with a shrug. Logan stares up at him, his nose and lip bleeding from repetitive punches to his face. A slight shadow of a black eye is also forming, his glasses thrown to the side. He coughs up more blood, letting it drip down his chin.

Lust moves to clock Logan in the jaw and stops when Patton screams out in horrid terror.

"Stop!! Let me- go in his place! Please!" Patton begs him, eyes red and swollen with constant crying. Lust ponders this for a moment and looks down to Logan.

"What do you think, hmm?" Lust asks him. Logan bares his teeth angrily, grabbing Lust by the wrist fiercely.

"-Tou-touch him, an-and you'll have t-to answer- to--m-me.." Logan threatens darkly, dark hair falling into his eyes messily.

"Sorry Darling, but your boyfriend refused." Lust jokes with a wink. He continues to shove Logan back down onto the ground and climb on top of him, laughing in response to Patton's immediate wailing.

Deceit can't take it for much longer. He stares emptily at Logan's pained expressions as Lust holds him down to the ground and strikes him. His world is spinning out of control.

How many times had Deceit wished someone would have saved him from Lust's abusive tendencies?

How many times had Deceit called out to the darkness for help, only to hear no response?

How many times had he tried to protect the others to no success? He has a chance now to do what he couldn't do before. He has a chance to become the saviour that never saved him. The real question is; Is it worth the risk? Lust is unpredictable and always has been. What exactly he would do to Deceit is unsure. Would he scold him, or would he chain him up like some animal?

Deceit realizes he isn't thinking about the bigger picture. If he could give the light sides hope and keep them somewhat strong, could they revolt and save Thomas? Unlikely, but it certainly was worth a try. Thomas hasn't even woken up yet and things have already been ruined. And Logan is a very important side to have as Deceit has said before. Patton and Logan's love and belief for each other might just be the spark he needed to ignite a revolution. 

Deceit has a real chance to turn the tables here. With one simple action, he could save Thomas. Even if Lust turns on him instead, he is still saving Logan some of the pain that he will be forced to endure.

He steps forward, hand reaching out to Lust. Quickly, his arm snaps down to his side again and he goes still. What on earth was he thinking? There's no way in hell he's going to try to stop this. He knows Lust and he knows what will happen. Logan isn't worth the suffering that he will go through.

A breathless noise of utter despair releases from Patton, quickly drawing Deceit's attention.

"Please--" Patton urges, snapping him out of his personal dilemma. 

No, he has to do this. For the others, and for himself.

"Lust-" Deceit mutters quietly to Lust, who remains on top of his bleeding victim. He doesn't hear. Deceit clenches his fists, building up the courage he has left.

"Lust- that's enough." He says louder this time, but Lust is stuck in his own little world. He seems so focused on the violence he is dealing that he has no connection to the outside world.

"Lust!" Deceit yells out. Still nothing. Patton has gone silent in response to his verbal retaliation in response to the abuse. He seems paralyzed at the fact that Deceit is actually attempting to help.

He sighs, realizing there was no way he is going to get through to Lust like this in time to save Logan. He thinks about giving in, just allowing it to happen and pretend that he never tried to stop. But an image of Patton's face disperses this thought. Patton had looked at him like he was a hero, not a villain. Like Deceit was a mysterious force fighting back against the oppressive hand of evil.

Deceit feels confidence flow through his veins, invigorating his sore body. Just this once he will allow himself to be the hero they needed. Just this once he can do what is right.

 

Deceit lunges at Lust and Logan, fiercely grabbing Lust's wrist as it reels back, preparing for yet another strike.

"I said..." The room goes silent as these threatening words hiss from Deceit.

" _That's enough._ " Deceit spits, eyes glaring deep into Lusts.

Silence lingers for a little longer as they all come to terms with what had just occurred.

"I knew it." Lust states venomously, tugging his arm away from Deceit and standing to face him. Deceit steps backwards warily, coming to a full realization of what he had done.

And yet this time, he isn't surprised or terrified. He is calm, confident even. He has accepted the consequences that will come with his actions.

"I knew you couldn't work for us..." Lust seethes, almost twitching with menace and insanity. Lust stands so close to Deceit that he can feel Lust's hot breath on his skin.

"You are going to pay dearly for this." Lust threatens, voice coated in delight and wickedness.

"Yes--Yes I know..." Deceit admits with a small, sad smile.

Lust quickly grabs him by the collar of his suit and pushes him up against the wall with a wide smile. He grunts, ribs aching from the sudden pressure.

"No.. no I don't think you do..." Lust whispers to him in response.


	24. The Cellar

Deceit's POV

Deceit would be lying if he said he wasn't absolutely terrified, but the look of pure gratitude on Patton's face assures him that what he is doing is right. Maybe it would've been easier to just let all of it happen, but he's never been one to take the easy path.

Lust is still cackling softly, eyes scanning Deceit's body as he brainstorms what to do.

"I'm so happy you foolishly decided to try and save them. You are still my favourite toy, you know?" Lust mocks him, continuing to hold him against the wall.

_Toy._ Ugh, he hated that nickname. 

"But, I must admit it is quite frustrating when you continuously breakthrough your conditioning." Lust declares, fuming with anger. Lust's hands grab from his collar to his wrists, pinning him back. He holds so tightly that his nails dig into Deceit's burns around his wrists. 

Deceit groans out deeply, pulling against Lust with every strand of energy he has.

"Maybe I am going about this all wrong..." Lust observes him, staring deep into his eyes as if searching for something deep within his very soul.

"I've been focusing mainly on physical torture for you...and maybe I should be focusing on emotional torture instead." Lust deduces, smiling as if he had uncovered some big secret. Deceit stares at him, unimpressed frankly. How could emotional abuse be worse than physical? 

"Oh yes...yes that's it. It has to be emotional torture for you..." Lust seems so satisfied, finally finding an answer to his number one problem; Why Deceit wasn't conditioned yet. If he had Deceit obeying him, literally nothing could go wrong.

"This is going to be good...Alright, you two stay here while I take care of our little  _snake_ problem." Lust orders to Logan and Patton, who remain stunned in quiet horror.

Lust pulls him off of the wall, pulling his arm taught behind his back. Deceit blows the air through his teeth quietly, the tendons in his arm squeaking in discomfort. Lust continues to push him out of the room, locking the door as they leave.

"Have you- maybe considered that you aren't going to be- be able to do this?" Deceit threatens Lust, who pushes him down the hall, passing by countless cells.

"What, break you? No, no, this will be easy. You'll see, my dear. You're about to be inside the palm of my hand, the puppetmasters favourite marionette." Lust announces dramatically, twisting his arm slightly. It puts immense pressure against his arm, threatening to pop the ligament from its socket. Deceit grunts in response, teeth clenched tight.

"Here we are. I think you'll find this room to be quite familiar." Lust stops, unlocks a padlock with a separate key, and slides the heavy door open wide. He shoves Deceit in before he gets a chance to struggle free.

 

With no warning, Deceit finds himself rolling down a set of long, shadowy stairs. The dull concrete jabs at his body in quick impacts as he descends further and further into the unknown.

When he lands at the bottom, he immediately feels the chilliness of the room he's in. He stares up at Lust, who is standing at the top of the stairs, cascaded in the only source of light.

"What's wrong, Love?" Lust teases, winking at him. Deceit moans deeply, lifting himself onto all four and eventually onto his knees. He's shaking with exhaustion, or maybe just the cold of the chilling stone making contact with his skin. He can't tell.

"Goodluck against the faces from the past!" Lust shouts to him manically, proceeding the slam the door shut.

"Wait--No!" Deceit screams out, lunging at the first step up the stairs. He reaches his hand up to the door, but it's already shut. He can hear Lust locking it, snickering as he rattles the key.

Deceit exhales, trying to calm his screaming nerves. He doesn't know where he is, and he's not sure he wants to know. Well, he doesn't really have a choice, does he?

He gulps, feeling strangely nervous. It's just a room. How could a room make him this nervous? Maybe the knowledge that Lust believes it to be an effective torture method in its own is what is making the hair on the back of his neck stand erect.

He turns around, facing the intimidating room with false courage. 

He can barely see due to the darkness, except for the outline of empty shelves lining the walls. That one seemingly insignificant detail is all he needs to immediately recognize the room, and once he has, he regrets seeking the answer.

It's the cellar.

 

Logan's POV

"Logan-are you really okay?" Patton asks him for the millionth time. Logan leans up against his elbows, nausea seeping into his stomach with ease. He's hurt, that much is easy to see. Lust had beaten him to the point where a metallic taste of blood lines the inside of his mouth like syrup.

"Oh, for God's sake.." Logan mutters under his breath, slamming a hand onto the ground angrily. He has grown tired of Patton asking him that question, as it is making him the victim that he doesn't want to be.

"I'm fine! I kee-keep telling you that I'm fine, so sto-stop asking!" Logan shouts out defensively. Patton shrinks down guiltily, a shiny mist of tears entering his sad, concerned eyes. Logan immediately feels terrible. Patton was just trying to help, so why had he flown into an illogical rage so soon?

"I'm-I'm sorry, that was unnecessary." Logan apologizes to Patton, who is trying to blink the tears away and gives him an understanding smile.

Logan looks down at the shackles wrapped around Patton's wrists, angry that he couldn't do anything to free him. They had already tried to release him in Lust's mysterious absence for the last half hour.

"Logan...are we going to get out of here?" Patton asks him, his usually sweet voice covered in uncertainty. Logan finds himself for the first time in his entire existence doubting himself and his abilities. He doesn't know if they can escape, because once the dark sides completely take over Thomas, it will become near impossible.

But staring into Patton's desperate, loving eyes makes it hard for him to be pessimistic. Whatever he can do to ease Patton's innocent mind, he will do.

"Yes. Yes, we will." Logan smiles at him, reinforcing the lie that he had told. Patton smiles back, the tears that have been flowing endlessly for hours finally stopping.

Logan lets himself lower back onto the ground, too tired to hold himself up any longer. He feels Patton's hand brush against his comfortingly. He looks up briefly, seeing Patton's sweet smile. He forces himself to smile back, allowing Patton's hand to intertwine with his own.

They lay there, staring peacefully up at the ceiling, holding each other's hand.

Yes, they may be trapped in a torture dungeon, but at least they have each other.

They will always have each other.

 

Deceit's POV

He's hyperventilating, trying to calm his own panic like ocean waves attempting to be tamed by the ships that depend on them. Why was the cellar here? How had they brought it here? Or this whole time, has he been in their old childhood house?

It's hard not to think of those times as he lays there. The times when the dark sides bullied him for years unending. The times when they shoved him down flights of stairs, locked him in rooms and starved him to the point of insanity. The cellar was the most common room in the house that they locked him in for long, dreadful weeks on end. The sides of Thomas didn't need to eat to survive, but they still felt starvations effects just as Thomas would.

And now he realizes what Lust had been talking about. Lust had failed to break him with physical torture, so now he was attempting emotional torture. And Lust has the perfect way to do that. What else was more traumatizing to Deceit than the cellar? The room he had spent so long in, scratching at the doors helplessly. Crying for help, help that never came. Screaming at the dark sides to let him out, who would stand on the other side of the room laughing at him.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe it will be better than being with Lust. It's hard to imagine that a simple room could do worse than the sadistic side he had grown an accustomed fear of. 

As soon as he hears a voice, those thoughts dissipate in seconds.

" _Hah, look at him down there..._ " A younger sounding Rage says, snickering.

" _Quite pathetic, is it not?_ " Pride adds with his usual regal tone.

Deceit can almost see himself from so many years ago, skinny and shrivelling with fear. He remembers exactly what thoughts used to go through his head. They usually went along the lines of;

_Soon, they'll let me out soon. It will be over soon._

_Why do they hate me so much? I never did anything to them. I only served my purpose, nothing else._

_They will all pay for this, I will make them pay someday. Some day, they will be the ones trapped down here._

He squeezes his eyes shut as his own voice replays through his head. Deceit feels frustration rising within his chest, which he tries to force out with a short sigh. It doesn't help, simply adding to his distraught by reinforcing the idea that he can't do anything to quiet the voices.

" _How much longer should we keep him down there?_ " Lust asks the young dark sides.

" _Let's see, he's been in there for what..a week now? Maybe another week, just to teach him a lesson._ " Pride plans deviously.

" _Aw man, I get bored when he's down there though._ " Lust adds impatiently.

Deceit had never realized how Lust had always been so...sadistic. He tried to repress these memories to the best that he could as if to forget they ever happened at all. Deceit feels something trickling down his face and quickly brushes his fingers against his cheek, which is wet with tears. Confused, he quickly rubs his eyes. The memories he had been recalling had forced such despair from him so quickly, and he had barely scratched the surface. The memories that he had pushed into the deepest corners of his mind were now being uncovered, realistically twisting the world around him into the past.

And there's absolutely nothing he can do about it.

 


	25. Old Friends

Deceit's POV

Deceit screams back at the darkness that fights to engulf him, voices from the past bombarding him at every angle. It's only been a couple of hours, so how in the world had it already gotten so bad? In every single shadow, he sees them. The dark sides, who tormented him for years. He can feel their cold hands grabbing at him from the darkness, wrapping their still, dead fingers around his lively skin.

He shrieks out as he feels a breath against the back of his neck. Whipping around, he sees nothing but his own frantic shadow shaking against the wall. He kicks himself away from whatever had touched him and quickly throws himself at the stairs. Deceit knows that the door is locked, but he was sure as hell going to try anyway.

Deceit slowly makes his way up the seemingly endless stairs, every single step up being a struggle. He finally reaches the top and pushes against the heavy door, which doesn't budge. He tries again, this time forcing his shoulder into the metal. The only thing he gains from this useless attempt is another source of pain.

Bitter frustration rises in his chest, settling below the surface like a volcano ready to erupt. He had promised himself that he would never let himself become that terrified, submissive kid again. And yet here he was, locked into the same cellar that he had spent so many nights crying in.

Suddenly his anger is too much. He slams his fists against the steel, sending horrid shocks up his forearms from his hands.

" **Let me out!** " Deceit bellows, knowing deep down that no one is listening. A low grumble crawls from his throat, eyes flaring in the bitter darkness. He kicks the door hard, immediately regretting the decision when his knee screams with pain. He doubles over, grimacing as he grips his knee helplessly.

"Damn this..." Deceit mutters woefully, wiping a hand across his check forcefully as he feels tears begin to collect. He looks at the door once again, this time noticing small dents and scratches lining the metal from years of hardship. He places a gloved hand against the steel, feeling the dents in curiosity. His eyes catch strange smudges that cover the door. They look like small handprints. The handprints of a child.

His handprints.

Deceit immediately pushes himself away from the door, and it's too late to catch himself before he's rolling back down the stairs. He lands dizzy at the bottom, head aching from the sudden impact of one of the steps. He groans, lifting a hand up to the burning spot on his head. Blood drips from his fingers when he looks back down at them.

" _What a moron._ " Pride's voice calls out to him mockingly. Deceit clenches his jaw angrily, repeatedly telling himself that it's just a trick, that no one is really there. This doesn't help, as it only convinces himself that he's going insane. Deceit shrinks down at the angry presences that surround him slowly, feeling trapped inside a child's body once more. He even adopts this nervous tick he used to do when he was younger, which was gently brushing his own hand along his scales to calm himself. He remembers very vividly how the other Dark Sides used to mock him for this, and these thoughts fly into the world around him as he relives the memory.

"Look, he's doing that thing again." Lust points at him, laughing childishly as Deceit pulls his hand from his face, flustered. His voice is more real and sounds less like an echo of the past. It sounds like he's in this room with Deceit.

"Sss-ss-stop!" Deceit forces out the words, which dance difficulty out of his mouth. That's another thing he used to do. He had developed a hiss-like stutter after a few years of constant bullying and neglect. So under immense mental stress, it came out once more.

He can hear the conjoined laughter of three young children as they cackle at his speech impediment.

"What's-sss-s wrong? You look ss-sss-sscared!" Rage mocks him, faking a stutter like his own all while the other two laugh endlessly. A numb flame flutters every so softly in his chest, and yet it is the primary source of all of his anger that he bottles up at this moment. Whatever he says, they will use against him. So, it's better to say nothing at all.

Unfortunately for Deceit, the others didn't like it when he gave them the silent treatment. He was their source of entertainment and esteem. 

"Aw, come on Deceit, we won't hurt ya." Lust encourages him, coming up from behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder. Deceit jumps away from his touch almost instantly, finally coming face to face with them all. When Deceit looks down at himself, he sees that he is also a younger version of himself.

"You see, Thomas needs us all to work together, but you don't like doing that, do you?" Pride asks him sentimentally, eyes full of concern. Deceit wordlessly shakes his head.

"That's okay. Why don't we all get out of here, and get something to eat? Would you like that?" Pride asks him warmly, seeing Deceits eyes light up like fireworks had exploded happily in his chest. At the slight thought of fitting in, of being one of them, it had caused such immense hope to rise from him. He quickly nods his head, unable to keep a wide smile from his lips. The adult Deceit, who is merely watching from his younger self's eyes, is stirring chaotically.

_Don't trust them! What are you doing!?_ Deceit screams at himself, watching Pride offer a manicured hand to help the devious side onto his feet. It doesn't matter how hard Deceit tries, he can't stop his younger being from accepting his offer and grabbing Pride's hand.

_Stop! They're lying to you!_ His words seem to not phase anyone, and he concludes that they cannot hear him at all. He is simply forced to watch himself fall right into their traps. He doesn't remember how this one ended, as all of those memories have long since been repressed. 

Pride helps him to his feet, leading him up the stairs slowly with Lust and Rage beside him.

"What do you want to eat? Grilled cheese? Pizza?" Lust inquires to increase his excitement. In this moment, Deceit was genuinely happy. He felt as if a major barrier had been broken down between him and his bullies. He had always felt that if he could just talk to them, then this could all be resolved. They wouldn't have to hurt him, and he wouldn't have to hurt Thomas by working with them.

_Please._ Deceit urges himself desperately, hoping to get through to him. He doesn't want to see this memory play out. He doesn't want to remember how it ended.

"You know, the scales on your face are super awesome." Rage compliments as they near the door at the top of the steps.

"Re-really?" Deceit inquires in disbelief.

_Please... I'm begging you. I can't watch this. Please don't make me watch this._

Deceit suddenly gets this pit in his stomach as the group around him laugh under their breath as if they're trying to hide the fact that they are mocking him. Why had he so easily accepted their friendship after all they've done to him over the years? Its because he had always been alone, trapped inside the cellar or hiding in his room. It comes to the point where any side gets lonely. He had been alone for years, but not by choice. By force. Now, here they were, ready to accept him into the world he always wanted a part of. Into a world that the decisions he would make wouldn't hurt Thomas anymore.

But, now they were laughing at him. He can physically feel his heart sink as they reach the top, but everyone stops walking up the stairs.

_Please...._ One final word of desperation, but it's no use. He knows deep down this won't stop until he's relived every single one.

"You are so incredibly easy to manipulate." Pride says through cackling, standing on the top step and looking down at him. The other two join Pride, standing beside him in the doorway.

It all clicks at once, and it's too much. He wasn't going to eat. He wasn't going to leave the cellar. The pain wasn't going to stop. They weren't going to accept him.

Suddenly, Lust and Rage's hands are on him, ready to push him down the stairs once more. 

"Plea-please--" Deceit utters quietly, staring up at them all as tears immediately invade his eyes. Pride waves dismissively at him, turning around and entering the doorway.

"Sorry Darling, but the king has spoken..." Lust teases with a wink. 

Deceit doesn't get a chance to plead his case before he's flying down the stairs again.

 

Patton's POV

They must have fallen asleep holding onto one another, fingers still intertwined. Patton opens his eyes and sees Lust standing in their room, watching them intently with a grin.

"How adorable!" Lust announces sarcastically, applauding loud enough to wake Logan. Logan immediately lunges in front of Patton protectively, holding his arms out to shield him. 

"Oh, Darling, I'm not going to hurt your poor boyfriend." Lust assures, causes Logan to relax just a little. Patton can tell due to the slackening of the muscles in Logan's back.

"You, on the other hand, should be worried..." Lust hints, pointing at Logan.

"Where- are the others?" Logan demands, ignoring his threat.

"Trust me, honey. They're no better off than you two are." With Lust's mysterious statement, Patton's mind begins to panic. How had he not through of the other sides? He had been so invested in Logan, that his mind had completely disregarded everyone else. What about Thomas? Was Thomas alright? Was he even aware of the major changes that was going through his subconscious?

"I'm sure they're in good hands with Rage." Lust says with a demented smile.

"Now, dear Logan, you're coming with me." Lust approaches them both, causing Logan to stiffen once again. His relaxation is over.

"Where's Deceit? What did you do with him?" Logan continues to interrogate, despite Lust's clear intentions with him.

"Ah, yes. Poor Deceit won't be making that mistake again, I can assure you that." Logan finds that hard to believe. Deceit had already endured the worst of the worst, and yet he still refused to obey them. What more could Lust do to him? Not much, Logan guesses.

"Is he--in trouble?" Patton asks timidly, building the courage to speak to the monstrous side.

"Let's just say that he's found himself trapped in his own personal hell." Logan and Patton exchange looks of fear. Patton had never thought he would be worried about Deceit's wellbeing, but here we are.

"Now, enough stalling. You're coming with me." Lust suddenly lunges at Logan, pulling him to his feet with ease. Patton can see Logan try to push himself out of his grasp, but Lust holds on too tightly. Lust pushes him face-first against the wall, pulling his arms behind his back and handcuffing them.

"No! Logan!" Patton screams out with total despair, watching the side he loved most being taken from him. 

"Patton-I'll be fine! Don't worry--!" Logan yells back at him unconvincingly as Lust opens the door.

"Oh no, no no. You definitely should be worried, Patton." Lust mocks, sliding the door open and shoving Logan out. Lust follows him, winking at Patton as he closes the door and locks it.

"Logan!!" Patton calls out one last time, feeling the warmth leave the room. 

He is alone again.

 

Roman's POV

"Let's try this one more time, shall we?" Rage mocks him, looking down at Roman. Roman doesn't know how long this has been going on. For two hours at least. Rage had walked in, whip in hand. He had told him how Rage was going to "Whip the creativity out of him", but Roman didn't think it would be this bad. 

Roman is on all fours, sobbing as he stares at the ground. Slashes from the whip lace his back heavily.

"What are you?" Rage asks him, pacing in front of his bleeding prisoner as he flicks the whip playfully. They had been 'rehearsing' these lines forever, and Roman doesn't know if Rage realizes how hard it is for him to say this.

"Use-useless." Roman answers lowly, his own words cutting him deeper than the whip does.

"Very good. How important are you to Thomas's being?" Rage praises, before continuing on. Roman fights back against his instincts, which yearn to gloat.

"Not- not at all." Roman admits. It was so hard for him to speak these words out loud. He kept telling himself that it wasn't true, that Thomas needed him. But the more times he said it, the more times Roman started to believe it.

"Good, good. And what do you contribute to Thomas?" Roman shuts his eyes tight. He contributes more than any other side! He is creativity, the embodiment of everything Thomas has ever made. He is important. He is not useless.

"I---" Roman falters, words dying as they prepared to be spoken. He realizes his mistake once Rage stops pacing, turning to face him.

"I'm afraid the correct answer was 'Nothing'. How sad, you barely made it half-way this time." Rage laughs emptily as Roman begins to cry, kicking himself away from the intimidating side. There's nowhere for him to go, no way to fight back.

"Let's start from the top, shall we?"


	26. 26 Hours of Insanity

Deceit's POV

Deceit can feel another memory uncovering its way from the depths of his broken mind. He shuts his eyes tightly, silently praying to himself that it doesn't come. He is currently sitting on the cellar floor, leaning against the wall to give his healing ribs a chance to mend. As soon as Deceit hears the voices begin to speak once again, he knows that there's nothing he can do to break free from this twisted illusion.

"Is he dead?" Lust asks wickedly, staring down at the starved child in the cellar. Deceit can feel himself being forced into the shell of the child he used to be.

"No, moron. Sides don't die from starvation." Rage mocks, descending down into the cellar. Lust follows close behind, making out the quivering body of Deceit.

Deceit cowers away from them, whimpering in fear as they stand over him menacingly.

"Where's Pride?" Rage asks Lust, who shrugs in response.

"Whatever, we don't need his permission to do anything." Rage sneers at Deceit, who looks slightly relieved that Pride isn't there. Pride rarely made his way into the cellar, but whenever he did, pain soon followed.

"He looks a little hungry, don't you think? How long has it been this time?" Lust observes his fragile, malnourished body that shakes with extreme hunger.

"Hmm, I want to guess 3 and a half weeks? I don't remember, honestly." Deceit avoids their condescending gazes, curling himself into a ball to retain his body heat. His stomach is growling angrily like a deranged coyote, begging for even the smallest scrap of food. It's the one thing that Deceit can't provide, but in these moments, it was the only thing he wanted. It hurts badly like his own organs are eating away at himself to satiate his needs. Deceit wraps his arms around his torso, shaking in silent torment as his insides grind together painfully.

"We should get him something to eat." Rage says, but his smile is just as evil as ever. Deceit doesn't even notice how obvious his demented intentions were, he just heard something about eating and blocked the rest out. 

Rage stands and walks up the staircase once more, disappearing into the rest of their house.

"What does it feel like, you know, starving?" Lust asks him with a twisted grin. Deceit finally looks up at him with a hurt expression. He's confused, wondering why Lust always took such great pleasure in seeing him beaten and injured. He doesn't understand, and he never will.

"Like... a wolf eating you alive? Or being trampled on by a herd?" 

_Yes and yes._ Deceit thinks to himself sadly, wondering when this would all end.

"Man, you used to be so much fun. Now you're all...mopey and depressed." Lust huffs, clearly annoyed by his lack of participation. Deceit shifts awkwardly, unaware of what Lust wanted from him.

"Hey, do you remember that time we trapped you beneath the floorboards in the dining room? That was hilarious!" Lust laughs insanely as he recalls that time. Deceit stays as quiet as he can, but his lip quivers involuntarily. 

It was that moment, underneath the floorboards, when he had learned that the only way to survive was to stay quiet. No yelling, no crying, no calling for help. He can remember how scared he was of tight spaces due to that one occasion. Oh, how he banged and scratched at the enclosure around him, begging for someone to let him out. Nobody listened, they only laughed at his feeble attempts. He realized that they would get bored of him and leave him alone, as long as he stayed absolutely silent.

Deceit doesn't want to remember anymore, so he shakes his head and buries his face in his hands. He can hear someone descending down the stairs again and looks up. Rage is carefully making his way down, carrying a large pot that is supposedly filled with soup. Deceit can't believe it. They were actually going to feed him?

Rage brings him the pot, a sneer still spread across his face as he places it in front of Deceit. Deceit simply stares at it in confusion, wondering what the catch was. Rage smirks and lifts the lid. As soon as it is lifted, a sweet, savoury smell is released into the air. This is followed by huge wafts of steam, as the stew is seemingly very hot.

"Eat up." Rage teases, gesturing to the bubbling soup. Deceit wants to, he really does, but something is holding him back. This is some sort of trick or game. But he can't resist it any longer, he's been starved for so long.

Deceit quickly dips his hand into the pot and reels back almost immediately, screaming as the thick liquid burns his skin. He falls back, cradling his scalded hand tightly as he sobs to himself. The only thing that drowns out his sobbing is the unhinged laughter of Lust and Rage.

"What's wrong Deceit? Aren't you hungry?" Lust teases him, gesturing to the boiling stew again. Deceit quickly shakes his head, stomach growling in protest.

"I think he's lying to us." Rage jokes, stirring the stew with a black ladle.

"Come here, Love. Let me help you." Lust reaches out for Deceit, who kicks away hastily, almost screaming out in terror. It's too hot, surely they know that. Lust manages to grab a hold of his arm, tugging him harshly out of the corner and towards them. Lust then proceeds to force him onto his knees, an arm wrapped around his throat as he holds Deceit's head up. The entire time, Deceit is screaming and crying, deeply horrified at whatever they were about to do.

"Open his mouth." Rage orders Lust, who grabs his jaw and forcefully cranks it open. Rage then lifts the pot up, scooping the scalding sludge into the ladle. It clicks in Deceit's panicking mind. They were going to force feed him this burning stew.

Deceit immediately loses it once he deduces their twisted plan, and struggles harder than before. He is pulling his head away, kicking, twisting, all while Rage comes closer with the ladle in hand. Steam wafts threateningly from the utensil.

"No--sss-stop-!! Don't--pleasss-pleasse!!" Deceit screams out as he realizes that he cannot fight his way out of Lust's tight hold. His words break off into screaming once again when the ladle is drawn closer to his mouth.

"Here comes the airplane!" Rage cackles madly, forcing the ladle into Deceit's mouth.

It immediately makes contact with the insides of his mouth. Hot pain boils across his tongue and down his throat as the thick liquid slicks to every side of his mouth. He is howling in anguish, tears streaming down his face in response to the pure torment. There's so much in the spoon that is poured into his mouth, but the longer he keeps it there, the more it begins to hurt. Deceit's screaming is cut off when he begins choking on the scorching stew, feeling it being forced down into his throat.

Rage finally takes the ladle out of his mouth, and Deceit goes to spit it all out, desperate for the pain to end. Lust quickly throws a hand over his mouth, trapping it inside. Deceit is sobbing, the skin inside his mouth literally blistering with heat.

"Swallow it!" Lust demands as Deceit's hand clamps around his wrist, trying to release himself. He realizes that he has no choice, that he must swallow it. 

Deceit builds the courage and forces himself to swallow the large gulp. Nothing could prepare him for the broiling pain in his skinned throat.

Once it is swallowed, Deceit immediately wails once again. Lust drops him to the ground, laughing at the clear torture. He's on all fours, the pain coating his entire mouth and throat being too much. He feels a warm rush of saliva enter his mouth as a lurching sound begins to come from him. 

_No, no, please._ He begs himself, one arm wrapped around his stomach as he leans forward. He can feel bile rising within his chest, flooding his mouth with more saliva.

Lust and Rage continue laughing uncontrollably as Deceit clamps a hand over his mouth, tears welling in his eyes. He feels it come up his throat, the stomach acid stinging his burned throat. It enters his mouth soon after, and he tries to swallow it, but it just comes up again. He gives up, lurching forward and vomiting all across the floor. He's coughing and blubbering, nearly suffocating on his own vomit as he tries to breathe. He's suddenly kicking himself away from the pile of barf, which is mostly consisting of a sick yellow liquid since he had basically nothing in his stomach to begin with. Now, he certainly doesn't. 

Deceit is cowering in the corner of the room, both hands wrapped around his mouth as he tries to comfort the searing pain. Lust and Rage finally finish laughing, wiping tears from their eyes.

"Rage! Lust!" Deceit hears a faint calling from Pride. Still half-snickering, Rage turns and runs upstairs. Lust begins to follow but turns to face Deceit before he leaves.

"Let's do this again sometime, Darling." Lust coos to him, winking and running up the stairs with Rage. They slam the door shut, leaving Deceit alone in the dark with nothing but his endless sobbing to comfort him.

 

Lust's POV

Lust's fist connects with Logan once more before the logical side drops to his knees and then onto his stomach. Lust nudges him with his foot, concluding that he was officially unconscious. Patton's wailing can be heard from next door, as he was able to hear every single time that Lust beat Logan.

Lust looks down at his bleeding captive, pleased with the quick work he made of him. Just for safety measures, Lust handcuffs Logan to a pole before leaving and locking the door.

He makes his way back to the dining room, where Rage and Pride have already met.

"Greetings, Lust. We were just starting to wonder where you were." Pride greets him, gesturing to a seat across from Rage. Lust bows his head and takes his seat, grinning.

"Now, let us discuss the progress that has been made. Lust, how are Logan and Patton?" Pride asks him.

"Logan is currently unconscious, and certainly weakened both physically and mentally. Patton is also perfectly submissive, as I made sure that he could hear every single scream that slipped out from his pretty boyfriend's lips." Lust announces proudly, leaning back into his chair with confidence and grace.

"Very good. Rage, you were in charge of Roman and Virgil. How are they?" Pride seems impressed by Lust's accomplishments and quickly moves on to Rage.

"I tore down Roman's ego, and I haven't checked up on the emo yet, but god only knows what hell he's been through." Rage snickers.

"Yes, I would assume so. And Deceit? Where is that slimy little snake?" Pride asks, turning his attention back to Lust.

"As you both know, Deceit had a little problem with following instructions. I locked him in the cellar to teach him a lesson, just like the old days." Lust thinks to the deceitful side, picturing him trapped in the cellar. He grins at this thought, knowing full well what memories must have been unleashed.

"How long has he been in there?" 

"I'd say about 26 hours, but if we need him now, I'm sure it was enough." Lust assures them both, truthfully uncertain about how submissive Deceit may or may not have become.

"Go fetch him. Thomas is waking soon, and we need all of the dark sides there when he does. Especially Deceit." Pride orders. Lust nods and rises to his feet, eager to see what happened to Deceit.

"Wait. Before you bring him back here, take him to visit Virgil. Teach the little emo a lesson, and see if Deceit tries anything to stop you. I want to make sure he is completely obedient for when Thomas wakes." Pride adds as Lust rushes towards the door. Lust smiles to himself insanely and makes his way to Deceit's cellar.

 

Deceit's POV

Another memory is coming, he can feel it.

"No, no no." Deceit repeats over and over again, hoping to distract himself. This doesn't seem to work, as he can already feel himself being forced back into the past.

"Pleasss-sse" He stutters terribly, biting back on himself in frustration as the word refuses to come out normally. It's so close, vision blurring slightly as he is pulled into his imagination.

There's one thing he sees immediately; a coffin. But that doesn't make sense. Why on earth is he picturing a coffin? What does that have to do with anythi---

Suddenly, a crack of light breaks through the shadows at the top of the stairs. Deceit stares up at it with wide eyes, unable to tell if this was another hallucination. He doesn't really care at this point, he is going for it anyways.

Deceit quickly rises onto his feet, careful with his broken knee. He limps up the stairs slowly, going as fast as he physically can. He doesn't care what might be waiting for him on the other side. He would rather die than go back down there with the past. There are  _decades_ worth of memories that he has long since forgotten just waiting to claw their way out of his mind. He is willing to do anything to not go back. 

Finally, Deceit pulls himself out of the cellar, gripping the sides of the doorway to hoist himself out. Before he knows it, he's crying. Literally sobbing as someone closes the door behind him.

"Well, Deceit, this is quite the change in attitude alrea--" Someone says, but Deceit doesn't care. He's just so happy to be let out. Before he can stop himself, Deceit finds himself hugging the person who let him out.

Then, Deceit notices the scent of cheap, musty cologne that resonates off of his saviour. He knows that smell, and he knows exactly who had let him out.

Deceit quickly releases Lust, staring at him in horrified shock. Looking into the eyes of his lifelong captor is almost too much to bear. Memories both from his childhood and from his recent torture flood him immediately.

"Wow, I don't think I've ever seen you so pale and scared." Lust observes his nearly translucent complexion and shaking body. Deceit drops onto his knees, too overwhelmed to stay upright. He grunts lowly, feeling his broken knee blaze with complaint.

"You were only in there for 26 hours. How on earth did it merit this sort of response?" Lust is curious, and Deceit hates it when he's curious. But he hears 26 hours and completely deflates. He had been driven to the brink of insanity in a mere 26 hours.

"Oh, this is going to be very fun." Lust states excitedly, like when a kid is given a new toy. In this case, that is strangely accurate.

"Get up." Lust orders to Deceit, who winces at his harsh tone. Deceit doesn't want to stand up, but what will happen if he doesn't? What is stopping Lust from shoving him back down those stairs into his own madness?

Deceit stands up slowly, face burning with shame. He can't afford to disobey anymore, not when he knows what kind of torture lies waiting at the bottom of the cellar.

Lust laughs evilly under his breath, watching Deceit's eyes cloud with helplessness.

"Come now, my dear pet. We are going to visit Virgil." Lust orders, gesturing for Deceit to start walking. And Deceit obeys.

 

They walk down the halls lined with cells until they come across one with a white door.

"Here." Lust stops them, grabbing a key from his pocket as he turns to the door.

"Now, just a reminder..." Lust begins, putting the key into the hole.

"If you don't do as I say exactly when I say it, you will be back down in that Cellar. Understand?" Lust threatens cooly. Deceit's heart leaps at the thought of returning.

"Y-yes." Deceit responds, forcing himself to not stutter. He doesn't think he can handle the embarrassment right now.

"Good." Lust says, opening the heavy door.

Deceit walks in, followed by Lust, who shuts and locks the door again. This cell is lined with white, noise-cancelling padding. It's almost like an asylum. Deceit spots a shivering figure crouched in the corner. 

"Hello, Virgil." Lust greets to the figure, which quickly looks at him. Deceit freezes, meeting Virgil's blazing, teary eyes. He is in a straight-jacket, arms buckled tightly around himself. His mouth is also taped shut, keeping him silent.

_What the hell?_ Is all Deceit can manage to think.

"You see Deceit, Rage has been injecting Virgil with hallucinogens frequently to force him into submission." Deceit gapes at Virgil, who looks pale with fright. He is drenched in his own sweat, beads dripping from his forehead.

"I thought that maybe a little beating would do him some good, don't you think?" Lust continues approaching Virgil, who shifts away. Deceit doesn't respond. He's simply too surprised and afraid to manage to say anything.

"Now, would you kindly hand me that crowbar over there?" Lust points to a crowbar leaning against the wall. He hesitates, immediately conflicted in his thoughts.

_Obey him. Obey him now or face the consequences!_

_No! You can't help him hurt Virgil!_

_It's not worth the pain, Virgil isn't worth what will happen to you._

_You can do it, fight back._ Deceit walks over to the crowbar, heart beating quicker as he picks it up.

_Shut up. You know resisting will only lead to more torture. More pain, is that what you want?_

_It's over, give him the crowbar._ He walks over to Lust, crowbar in hand. Lust watches him intently as he is conflicted by his conditioning.

_Don't do it._

_Give it to him. What good will it do to fight back?_

_You learned a long time ago that resisting makes it worse._

_If you don't give it to him, or try to escape, you will end up in the cellar again with us._ Deceit's hand is clenched tightly around the weapon, going back and forth with his thoughts like a game of ping-pong.

Lust holds out a hand, ready to accept it. Deceit begins to hand it over, listening to the faint yet audible begging from Virgil. His hand is shaking as he holds it over Lust's palm.

_Do it. Obey._

Deceit places the crowbar in his captor's hand.

 


	27. Conditioned

Virgil's POV

Virgil watches Deceit hand the crowbar over to Lust, stunned into silence. He couldn't believe that Deceit had given up so easily, putting up no fight at all. Lust laughs lowly as Deceit's expression breaks, almost like he had been pulled out of a trance.

"Very good..." Lust praises Deceit, who is blushing terribly with shame and guilt. Still chuckling under his breath, Lust walks towards Virgil with the crowbar in hand. Virgil immediately begins panicking, struggling to get further away due to the straight jacket restraining his entire upper half.

"Sorry emo, but it looks like Deceit doesn't care enough about you to do anything." Lust cackles as Virgil's wide eyes stare at Deceit in shock. Deceit looks like he wants to say something, but strangely he doesn't. 

Virgil looks over to Lust once more, who is now standing over top of him. He had pushed himself into the corner and has nowhere left to go. At least the hallucinations were over. Virgil had seen every single one of his fears become reanimated into the real world, from heights to rejection. But Virgil has a feeling that Lust will ensure that this will be far worse.

Lust slams the crowbar into his shin, making a chilling shriek rip from him. His shin pangs horribly in pulses as Lust prepares for another strike.

 

Deceit's POV

Deceit grimaces as the crowbar collides with Virgil's shin again. He suddenly feels sick and has to look away from Lust and Virgil. Every single one of the anxious side's screams makes Deceit's entire body quiver in fear. 

What would Virgil think of him now? Would he blame Deceit for the torture he's going through, or would he shun Deceit for being such a coward? 

Deceit shakes this question from his conscious. It doesn't matter what the light sides think of him. What matters is that he will never go into that cellar ever again. That is his one mission.

When Deceit looks back over, Virgil is howling in anguish with tears running down his red face. The black eyeshadow that he normally wears is smudged across his face, being ruined by his own crying. Once Lust rips the tape from his mouth, he lets out a series of broken screams which fade into the meer weeping of a condemned man.

"What do you think Deceit? Should I break the other shin?" Lust asks Deceit, who crosses his arms around himself. He wants nothing to do with this, but at the end of the day, Lust still controls him.

"No-no please-don't-" Virgil stumbles over the words

"Aw come on, Love. Don't you think he deserves to suffer as much as you did?" Lust inquires, watching in pleasure as Deceit's eyes filled with conflict. What was it that Virgil had said to him recently? Something along the lines of ' _You deserved it.'_   Maybe in a strange way, he did deserve the torture. That one thought gives him an idea.

"No." Deceit disagrees simply, causing Lust to whip around. He approaches the side threateningly.

"Think about this carefully, Dear. What happens if you disobey me?" Lust pressures with a grin of pure insanity. Deceit's heart races, but he sticks to his plan.

"It's the truth. I deserved the...punishments because I didn't listen. Virgil hasn't been as much trouble as I was, so it doesn't merit the same level of tor-torture." Deceit explains as calmly as he can, frozen still by his own hysteria. Lust's eyes narrow, studying his submissive facial expression with care.

"Say that one sentence again." Lust demands. Deceit swallows hard, nerves screaming at him in terror. His eyes darken with despair, eyes cast on the ground to avoid Lust's amused gaze.

"I--I deserved to be tortured." Deceit repeats, voice cracking slightly with misery. He had reached a whole new level of submission that Lust hadn't thought possible.

"Well, well. You're turning out to be quite the pet, aren't you?" Lust laughs menacingly reaching out to caress the scaled side of his face. Deceit shudders with mortification, hating how Virgil could see all of this taking place.

"Deceit, I want you to take this needle and inject it into that snivelling emo over there." Lust demands, pulling out a needle with a blue cap on. Deceit stares down at the needle, hearing the immediate terrified response from Virgil.

"Deceit, no! Don't do this-I can't take anymore-!" Virgil pleads him from the corner, shaken at the thought of more hallucinations.

_It's either him or you._ A voice says in his head, reminding him of the consequences he will face should he refuse. Deceit clenches the needle tightly, flicking off the blue cap. Lust watches with silent amusement, eyes lit up at the progress he made with Deceit.

Deceit takes a deep breath before slowly limping over to Virgil, who is screaming at him not to. He stands over Virgil, heavy guilt weighing down in his chest.

"Don't- don't you dare do this..." Virgil threatens him with teary eyes. 

"I'm ssss-ssorry." Deceit stutters pathetically, hearing Lust snicker at his old speech impediment returning.

Virgil yells out in fear as Deceit grabs him by his straight jacket to hold him still and shoves the needle into his neck swiftly. Virgil's struggling slows as he falls over to one side, eyes wide in paralyzed fear.

Deceit throws the needle to the side, gulping down a breath and trying to calm down. His hands were shaking as he stared down at them, wondering who the hell Lust had turned him into. His eyes meet Virgil's frozen expression of terror as he quietly sobs to himself. He should've been able to save Virgil. He should've tried, but he just couldn't bring himself to.

"Bravo! You've made your master very happy." Lust praises him, truly more impressed with himself than with Deceit. 

"Now let's go meet up with the others, shall we?" Lust opens the door, gesturing for Deceit to leave. Deceit takes one final look at Virgil in the corner, heart heavy with disappointment in himself.

He turns and walks through the door, followed by Lust.

 

They turn the corner and finally meet back up with Rage and Pride.

"Ah, welcome back." Pride greets them both, eyeing Deceit's vacant expression curiously. Lust takes his seat and Deceit walks to his own, hesitating before finally sitting down.

"So, how is everything?" Pride ask Lust, who refuses to look away from his prized work; Deceit.

"Oh, just perfect. He is fully conditioned." Lust responds proudly. Rage snickers from across the table.

"Yeah, we'll see about that..." He says, suddenly rising from his seat and walking out of the room.

"Where is he going?"

"Rage has a little test he'd like to put your pet through. Just to make sure." Pride answers with a sly smile directed to Deceit, who shudders at his title. Rage walks back into their dining room carrying a bowl. He sets it in front of Deceit, who stares up at him in confusion. 

Suddenly, a smell from his past completely overtakes him. It's savoury and sweet, mouthwatering even. Deceit slowly looks down at the bowl and sees that it is full of stew. The same kind of stew from all those years ago.

"Very clever..." Lust states, staring at Deceit in anticipation. Deceit's gloved hands curl into tight fists as he tries to calm his stomach, which is already starting to feel sick from the slight memory of throwing up.

"Eat it." Rage demands to Deceit, who goes pale with fright. He looks up at Rage with wide eyes, reflecting dismay and despair.

"--Are you-- ss-sss-serious?" Deceit asks, frustration rising in his chest when he cannot stop himself from stuttering. Rage nods with an evil grin. Deceit's eyes immediately fall back to the soup, which is bubbling fiercely with heat. He swallows hard, blinking away tears in desperation.

"But--it's too hot-" Deceit urges sheepishly, not wanting to anger Lust.

"Eat it, Love. Wouldn't want to end up in the cellar again, now would we?" Lust threatens wickedly. Deceit bites back on his words, a shaking hand picking up the spoon beside the bowl. His face burns brightly as the entire group stares at him, waiting patiently.

_Just do it. Don't think about it._ He tells himself, but it doesn't stop the waves of blind terror pulling at him. He can feel himself quivering and tries to force his body to remain still. He dips the spoon into the bowl, watching the scalding liquid pool into the utensil with ease.

Before Deceit can talk himself out of it, he shoves it into his mouth.

Immediately the pain is worse than he imagined. It covers his entire mouth, burning every single inch of the inside of his throat. He slams the spoon back onto the table, leaning forward to spit it out as he cannot take the pain any longer.

"Ah, ah, ah! Don't spit it out. Swallow it." Lust orders, noticing fresh tears invade his prisoner's vision. As much as he doesn't want to, he obeys the order. He has to clamp his hands around his own mouth in order to keep it in, afraid that his nerves might get the best of him and spit it out anyways in order to stop the agony.

He swallows it as fast as he can, shutting his eyes tightly when it slides down his throat, setting his entire mouth aflame.

Before he knows it, bile is rising up again.

"Just a warning, Love. If you throw it up, you'll be licking it off the floor." Lust warns him, noticing his sick facial guise.

_Lick it off the floor?_ Deceit thinks to himself emptily. They're reaching a whole new level of humiliation. He covers his mouth once more, willing to do anything to stop himself from throwing up. He quickly swallows the bile that leaks into his mouth, leaving the sick aftertaste of puke coating his tongue. Deceit looks up to Rage, who is applauding mockingly.

"Well done, Lust! I gotta say, I've never seen someone so whipped." Pride praises, impressed by the sudden changes in Deceit's attitude. Pride stands up from his seat.

"I think it's finally time to pay dear Thomas a visit." Pride orders, smirking to the dark sides. Deceit feels his heart sink like a pebble in a lake.

"And you are going to tell every single lie your pretty little mouth can..."

 

Virgil's POV

He's spinning out of control, sprawled out on the ground. His shin is blazing with agony like he had dipped it into molten magma.

"Virgil..." A voice seethes at him playfully. Virgil sits up immediately, looking around wildly to find nobody there. Anxious tension rises within him, knowing that these were the hallucinations kicking in. But there's nothing he could do to stop them.

"How could you betray us, Virgil?" Patton's sweet voice asks him. He buries his face in his hands.

"I di-didn't mean to..." Virgil urges miserably, guilt overtaking his conscious.

"We let you in, and this is how you repaid us?!" Roman yells out angrily, shaming him for giving the dark sides his weakness. Virgil shakes his head in denial.

"I couldn't han-handle it, Roman. Im so so-sorry." Virgil keeps apologizing over and over again, but his words seem to carry no weight. He looks up again and sees all of the light sides standing in front of him, arms crossed. Patton is crying, Roman is furious and Logan is disappointed. If Virgil could stand, he would. But his broken shin leaves him completely immobile and vulnerable to the hallucinations.

"Roman he's not listening, he never listens." Logan scolds, wrapping an arm around Patton to comfort him. Virgil is now fully weeping, due to not only their words but also the amount of pain he's going through.

"Let's just leave him." Logan urges them sadly, almost like he thinks there is no hope for Virgil anymore.

"No-no wait! Don't- go--" Virgil pleads his friends, who all turn and start walking away. They don't seem to hear his words, simply walking towards the door before vanishing into mist.

"Please--" Virgil begs, but they're already gone.

He's alone again, left to fend for himself against his deepest fears.


	28. Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know, I know. It's been WAY too long since I've updated this. Truth is I haven't had the time, and when I did, I wasn't sure where to take the story. I've rewritten this chapter too many times, and I'm finally really proud of the outcome. A lot of you probably left to continue on with your lives, but to the people who stayed, thank you so much! I'm finally back into the grove of writing this story again, and there are some good chapters to come! I'll try to update this Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Once again, Im so sorry that it's been so long. It won't happen again(well not for that long, lol)  
> Love you all, and enjoy the whump! (cuz there's a shit ton in this one!)  
> -Star <3

~~~~_Deceit's POV_

He feels it suddenly, like a breath of fresh air being forced down his throat to fill his lungs entirely. Deceit glances around at the three others who smirk at his panicked expression. He finally remembers that this is what happens every single time Thomas wakes up, a sudden desire to breathe. 

"It's time, darling." Lust says to him giving him a demented smile. He swallows hard.

"What-do you want me to say?" Deceit asks them all, feeling a shard of guilt pierce right through his soul. He tells himself over and over again that he is only listening to them to survive, but that doesn't stop the self-deprecation from reaching his poor broken mind.

"Thats up to you to figure out." Pride orders him. Deceit looks back with a blank stare, unable to believe that they would trust him enough to let him say whatever. Noticing his confused face, Rage chimes in next.

"You will lie to him and get him to start to bend to our will." Rage clarifies harshly, causing Deceit to flinch away.

"And-and if I fail?" Deceit asks quietly. He knows the answer already, but he'll do anything to convince himself that it won't happen.

"Then we get to spend some more time together down in the cellar." Lust threatens with a wink, which is followed by conjoined laughter from the three dark sides.

Deceit breathes to calm himself to no success. Usually his head is running with different thoughts and topics at all times, but at the moment, it's completely empty of all plans or schemes. This causes his panic to go even further. He needs an idea. He needs just a minute to think, but it's so impossible to concentrate with his three torturers sitting across from him. It's like he's been shoved out of an airplane and is struggling to pull his parachute. He knows for a fact that it's there, but he can't seem to find it no matter how hard he searches. And he's getting closer and closer to the ground, until finally...

"Ready?" Lust asks him impatiently after watching Deceit stare down at the table for 15 seconds.

"Wait-! No-" Deceit stammers, heart beating in his chest like it's about to jump right into his throat.

"Too bad." Lust cackles as he shoves Deceit into reality.

 

Deceit appears in Thomas's living room, dazed from the sudden relocation. He remembers instantly what he is here for and glances around, eyes searching wildly for Thomas. He finds Thomas lying on the ground, eyes still closed. A wave of relief washes over Deceit, not so panicked by the time restraint. He comes to realize that he is standing in Virgil's spot by the stairs, and this gives him an idea.

_Virgil, of course. If I want to force Thomas into submission through fear, Anxiety would be the side to disguise as._ He thinks to himself webbing together his plan. He doesn't quite know the details, mind still rushing wildly at the circumstance.

Deceit is going through his many options when he hears Thomas moan. Heart nearly stopping, Deceit sees Thomas's eyes flicker open ever so gently, his legs stirring.

_No! No I need more time!_ Deceit thinks to himself, the familiar feeling of panic taking over once again. Even though he's been in a state of paranoia for weeks on end, he will never ever get used to the jittery feeling of nervous overload.

Thomas raises his head, squinting at the light. Deceit merely knows that he is going to take disguise as Virgil, and nothing else. He doesn't have anymore time to stall, he needs to improvise now. His very sanity is resting on his ability to lie, and he is doubting that ability heavily.

Thomas is getting up now, so he needs to move fast. Deceit shuts his eyes and pictures the anxious side. Virgil wears a black hoodie with purple stitching and dark eye shadow underneath his eyes. His bangs hang in front of his face. Deceit takes a deep breath again, this time to summon the energy it takes to disguise himself. Even in his best conditions, disguising as one of the other sides always leaves him drained of all life force. But in this state, he's not sure how long he can last before turning back to himself and fainting all together. He keeps the picture of Virgil in his head, willing his appearance to morph into Virgil's.

To his surprise, it works. Immediately he feels the brush of bangs against his forehead, blocking his view slightly. At first he's relieved by the transformation, but then all of his energy is suddenly ripped away from him. He nearly stumbles over, body starved with exhaustion both physically and mentally. By the time Thomas is on his feet, Deceit has regained his footing and leans against the post with his hands in his pockets. His eyelids are extremely heavy, and he hopes that the black eyeshadow will cover up some of the fatigue.

Thomas looks around, before finally turning towards Deceit. Thomas screams, startled by the sudden appearance of one of his sides.

"Oh thank god it's just you, Virge." Thomas states, hand on his chest to calm his heart. He seems to instantly remember everything at once, due to his expression changing from relief to one of terror.

"Wait- what happened? How long have I been..out?" Thomas asks him. Deceit opens his mouth to speak, but nearly talks in the wrong voice. With a rush of adrenaline he carefully matches Virgil's mopey voice.

"You've been out for days, Thomas. What do you remember?" Deceit mocks Virgil's voice almost perfectly, body numb and limp with endless fatigue. 

"I remember..them. The dark sides, I think. I remember Deceit, and I remember what they did to him. You were gone, Virge. We were so worried about you! What happened while I was out?" Thomas demands, upset by the dark memories he's gaining. Deceit immediately begins to fake cry, acting like he has to blink them away as to not upset Thomas further. He soon realizes that the fake tears are more real than he wanted them to be, and he finds it hard to slow them down to a controllable pace.

"They took us, Thomas. Everyone, Patton, Logan, Roman, even me. They've imprisoned us." Deceit chokes, the words he speaks being too real. Thomas stares back at him, mouth agape in horror.

"Oh my god, Virgil I am so sorry I wasn't there to help you all." Thomas apologizes profusely, but it's too late. The damage is already done to all the light sides.

"Are you okay? Have they hurt you?" Thomas interrogates further, noticing 'Virgil' shuffle under the pressure of these questions.

"I-It doesn't matter now." Deceit didn't fake that response. The sorrow in his fake voice is an authentic tone ripped from his own desolation. Thomas stumbles backwards, collapsing into the couch with wide, teary eyes.

"I don't know--I don't know what to do. Tell me, Virge. Tell me what to do! Tell me- how to help." Thomas voice cracks, shaking with an unknowable mix of feelings. 

"If you truly want to save us, Thomas, you need to...to give into the dark sides." Deceit finally says what he's been yearning to say this whole time. He can feel weariness wrap around him, threatening to drag him down into the depths of sleep. He can't leave now, he needs to keep up this disguise for just a little longer.

"Wait-what?! Give up? Virgil, you can't be serious!" Thomas is standing again, facing him fully. Deceit feels like Thomas is looking right through him, seeing past his impersonation and seeing the fragile truth of what he truly is. A spineless coward, who couldn't withstand the pain any longer and sold his soul to his captors.

"That's the only option, Thomas!" Deceit snaps at him with an impatient tone. He sees Thomas flinch at the sudden hostility.

"Look-we've tried, okay? There is no way out. I don't know how much longer we can hold out for you. Eventually they will take over anyways, but if you let them then it will save all of us from torture." Deceit pleads slightly, still with an authoritative tone. Thomas ponders this for a moment, staring at the ground with a grimace of distraught.

"I don't--I don't want to be a ba-bad person..." Thomas stammers between sobbing underneath his breath. That statement hits Deceit like a train.

"You need to make your choice, Thomas. We don't have much time." He urges, trying to end this conversation before he fully falls over. He's finding it increasingly difficult to stand and keep his eyes opened.

Thomas is now crying openly, sobs filling the silent room. Deceit bites on his tongue as he feels the need to cry well up inside his chest. He can't keep this up for much longer.

"Im sorry, but I have to go." Deceit states, letting panic flash in his eyes as if the dark sides were drawing him back under.

"Wait- no! Don't- don't go, Virge. I need- I need to know what to do!" Thomas urges as Deceit readies himself to return to the mind palace. He forces his eyelids open for a little longer.

"Make the right choice, Thomas! Please!" He pleads, slowly lowering down into Thomas's mind.

"No! No Virgil, don't leave!" Are the last words Deceit hears from Thomas as he reenters the mind palace.

 

Deceit appears once more, his disguise completely shed from himself. It's a good thing he got out so quickly. One more second and he would've been revealed to Thomas. He hears applause and looks up at the three dark sides. He's still sitting with them, faintly wishing that he hadn't woken up at all.

"Brilliant performance, darling!" Lust calls out to him. Deceit looks away, the realization of what he's done finally settling. He keeps telling himself that he had to do it, that he had no choice. It doesn't make him feel any better.

"He seemed to still resist us, even though all of his worthless light sides are under immense pressure." Pride analyzes with the two others. They continue to talk and scheme between themselves, but Deceit is too tired to even hear their words fully. He's floating outside of his body, feeling no pain for the first time in a while.  

_This will all be over soon..._ He lies to himself, hoping to convince himself of some happy ending. It doesn't work of course, his future still just as bleak and miserable as before.

"It seems that the two sides still hanging onto him are Patton and Roman." Rage adds.

"How so?" Pride inquires.

"Well, he still holds onto the sense of morality like it's a crutch. And he's still relying on Roman. Logan seems to be completely out of the picture, as he was unable to come up with any plan. And his anxiety is heightened, which is perfect." Rage fills in the details of what he observed in the short interaction.

"So, we should beat those two down some more, correct?" Lust says eagerly with a smile ripped straight from Deceit's nightmares.

"Exactly. Go get the insignificant twerps and bring them here." Pride orders. 

"Oh I've got the perfect idea, trust me." Rage grins, raising his eyebrows at Lust knowingly. They both rise from their seats in sync and make towards the cells down the hall.

Deceit sits slouched over, eyes half closed. He doesn't care how much his ribs are begging him to sit up, he can't do it. He's too tired, unable to remember how long it's been since he slept. That on top of the disguise has taken its toll on him, and he's really starting to feel it now.

"Wake up, Deceit! You won't want to miss the show, now would you?" Pride shouts at him, jolting him awake. Deceit feels himself begging on the inside to fall asleep. The thought of sweet intoxicating rest is almost enough to make him forget where he is. He's nodding off again, head lulling to one side.

"Hey! Keep yourself awake, or I'll do it for you!" Pride yells to him. Deceit perks up again, desperate to stay awake as the threat continues to loom over him. The sound of crying is what pulls Deceit from his restless trance.

He looks up to see Lust dragging a sobbing Patton into the room. Deceit notices that Patton is handcuffed, but only on one wrist. The other cuff is open, as Lust is supposedly going to cuff him somewhere in the room. Patton's red, teary eyes meet Deceit's.

"Deceit--Deceit you have to he-help-" Patton begs him, cut off when Lust slaps him across the face. Patton cries out in response, holding his swollen cheek with a hand.

"Shut it! You speak only when spoken to!" Lust demands, raising his hand again. Patton shrinks away, muffling his own sobs. Lust smirks victoriously and pulls Patton along to stand next to Deceit's chair.

"Hold out your arm, love." Lust asks him with false politeness, toying with him as per usual. Deceit does as he is told without a second thought. Lust clips the other handcuff around Deceit's wrist, chaining him and Patton together.

"Wait- what are you doi--" He starts to protest before Lust places a finger on Deceit's lips, silencing him. Deceit feels the handcuff chaff painfully into the scars on his wrists from the burns. He looks at Patton again, who does not say anything this time. His eyes are pleading Deceit for help, lip quivering out of fear and desperation. Deceit forces himself to look away, a strange hiss coming up from deep within him. Thankfully, Lust does not hear him. 

He hears yet another commotion and looks up to see Rage and Roman. Rage is pulling him along on a chain connected to a thick metal band around his neck. It's very similar to the one they made Deceit wear. Roman is duct-taped into silence, tugging helplessly on the chain in a vain attempt at survival. Rage pulls harder, throwing Roman off his balance and causing him to stumble further into the room.

"Roman!" Patton cries out, forgetting what Lust had said nearly 30 seconds ago. Deceit nudges Patton discreetly, signalling to him to keep his mouth shut. 

_Oh my god, what did I just do?!_ Deceit screams at himself internally, horrified by the thought of the involuntary heroic act. Lust doesn't seem to notice, but that doesn't calm his nerves at all.

_If Lust had seen, that would've been it. I would be back in the cellar._ Deceit feels a shiver tip-toe down his spine, making him incredibly alert to every single noise and movement.

Patton and Deceit stare on in horror as Rage throws Roman onto the ground, unfurling a leather whip. Patton begins to cry out loudly, tears streaming down his face. Deceit flinches as Lust grabs Patton by the collar of his shirt, nearly choking him.

"Rage, give Roman thirty slashes for Patton's incessant screaming." Lust sneers at Patton, who has gone white with terror. He releases Patton once again, turning around to watch Rage.

"No--no! Please- I'll do it- don't hurt h-him!" Patton begs them. Deceit winces at his words, knowing that the more you beg, the more pain they'll put you through.

"40 slashes." Lust adds on an extra 10 due to Patton.

"NOO!!" Patton pulls against Deceit, trying to reach out to Roman. Roman's face is entirely blank with shock and terror, yet tears drip down from his wide eyes.

Deceit feels his wrist yanked by Patton and winces, the metal cutting into him. He tugs Patton back, trying to save Patton from himself.

"50 slashes!!" Lust announces crazily, excited by the amount of torment in the air. Deceit suddenly feels himself flood with numbness, vision narrowing on Patton. 

"ROMA--" Patton begins to scream before Deceit involuntarily lunges at him, clasping his gloved hand over the side's mouth. Patton has gone incredibly still, just as surprised as Deceit. The room is silent, and he feels everyone's eyes on him. Now he's shaking, suspecting that he's about to receive 70 slashes across the back and 2 weeks in the cellar for trying to save them.

"50 slashes going once! Going twice!" Lust's voice cuts through the silence. Deceit's shoulders relax a little, hoping they all didn't care.

"Sold! To Roman!" Lust cackles as Rage raises the whip over his head, ready to begin. 

As Roman's screaming fills the room, Deceit slowly releases his hand from Patton's mouth. To his relief, Patton remains completely silent. He stares on, face pale and sweaty. Deceit feels the urge to comfort him, but refrains from saying anything. Deceit looks away from Roman's torture, reliving his own as Rage reaches 10 slashes. All of the commotion had pulled Deceit out of his tired state, but he's starting to feel it seep back into his bones.

Suddenly, Deceit feels Patton pull him up from his chair by the wrist. Deceit isn't quick enough to resist, everything basically running in slow motion for him. Before he knows it, Patton is dragging him towards Roman and Rage quickly. Rage is midway through a slash when Patton grabs Deceit and throws him into the place of Roman, right underneath the leather whip.

Deceit screams out as the whip connects with his shoulder blade. It feels like it cuts right through him, tearing his capelet hungrily to reach the flesh underneath. He's quickly brought to his knees by the unspeakable and surprising agony. Roman is now laying face-first on the ground a few feet away, supposedly unconscious.

Deceit stares up at Patton with an expression of betrayal. He had just risked his own safety to warn Patton, and here he was now. Thrown into dangers way by Morality himself. Patton stares back at him, eyes wide with shock.

_ Patton's POV _

"Im-I didn't--" Patton stammers, unable to come up with an answer. He couldn't believe what he had just done. How could he throw Deceit into Rage like that? What was he thinking? He was thinking that he needed to do anything to save Roman, because he couldn't' protect Logan. He was trying to make up for what he had done, but now he's hurt someone else. At what cost? Who the hell is he anymore?

Deceit's eyes dance with hatred and pain, barely able to register what had happened so quickly.

"Oh, so you wanted Deceit to be whipped instead? Well, you could've just said so!" Rage exclaims with an evil grin. Patton's heart drops as Rage reaches down to Deceit and yanks him onto his feet.

"I didn't--didn't do anythi-thing!" Deceit pleads desperately, visibly confused at what was happening.

"No! No that-that's not what--I- wanted!" Patton yells. But thats a lie, isn't it? He had tried to replace Roman with Deceit, so yes, he did want Deceit to take his place.

"Yes it is, love. Just admit it." Lust mocks from the table, watching the scene play out in pleasure. Rage grips Deceit's wrist, the one with the handcuff, with both hands. Deceit grabs onto one of Rage's wrists with his free hand, almost lowered onto the ground.

"Plea-please...don-don't..." Deceit begs him, seeming like he knew what Rage was going to do. Patton watches guiltily as this takes place. It's his fault that Deceit is now in this position. He's almost as responsible as Rage for what is about to happen to the poor deceitful side.

 

_Deceit's POV_

What the hell is happening? How on earth did he end up here? He did everything right, followed every rule. He proved to be no threat to them, and yet here Rage is, eyeing him hungrily.

"Sorry, Deceit. But that's just what Patton wants." Rage says to him with fake pity, hands tightening around his wrist painfully. Patton continues pleading and even lunges at Rage, to no success. Rage simply ignores him until Lust approaches and holds Patton back.

"There isn't a key to these handcuffs, is there?" Rage asks to Lust with a knowing grin. Lust returns the smile with a shake of his head. Deceit doesn't understand the clear threat.

_What the hell is he going to d---_

Deceit's thought process is cut short when Rage's hand grabs a hold of Deceit's thumb and yanks it backwards dramatically, breaking it completely. Deceit shrieks gutturally, vision blurring from the pain. His ears ring loudly as Rage grasps his wrist and twists it quickly, shattering the bones with one swift movement. Tears run down his face, and his own scream deafens his ears. His hand blazes with agony that comes in pulses and waves that are half a millisecond apart from each other. The agony doubles when Rage begins to slip his hand out of the handcuff. He swears that through his own howling he hears the crunching of shattered bones being forced in on each other in his wrist as they are forced out of the cuff.

Rage gives one final tug, freeing Deceit from the single cuff. Deceit immediately drops onto the ground, continuously screaming until no air remains in his chest. He stares down at his wrist, which is bent dramatically from his arm. It is splashed with bright blues and purples, bruises already appearing on the skin. Screams fade into loud sobbing mixed with shrieks every time the wave of torment comes in again. He barely notices that his capelet is torn from his shoulders quickly. He hears someone else screaming, but it's not him. Deceit looks back up at Patton, cradling his fractured wrist. Patton is disheveled, completely torn up about the whole ordeal. He should be happy, shouldn't he? This is what he wanted.

Rage rips the shirt off of Deceit, revealing lines of puckered skin where he had been whipped before.

"Just like old times, eh buddy?" Rage mocks him, running a finger along the whipping scars. In the corner of Deceit's eye he sees Rage pick up his leather whip once more and walks to stand behind him, ready to bring a whole new meaning to the word 'pain'.

 

_Patton's POV_

He can't stop crying. It intensifies when Rage brings the whip down on Deceit's back mercilessly. His voice is raw from screaming, but he can't stop himself. Deceit's screams mix with his own until he is unable to differentiate which one is which. Patton sees Deceit's grimace of pure agony and despair, and feels terrible. As he should. He did this to Deceit. What is this place doing to him?

"How many was it again, Lust?" Rage asks Lust after 3 slashes. Lust giggles before giving him the response, looking into Deceit's face to see his reaction.

"50."

 

 

 


	29. Failure in it's purest form

_Deceit's POV_

~~~~"Last one, Dear..." Lust coos from above him, watching Deceit's face morph into a wince with every coming flash of torment. He's writhing violently on the ground, his own blood gushing down his sides from the deep slashes embedded into his back. Deceit holds his breath firmly, sobs jumping against his ribs as he waits for the enhanced agony to come once again.

Nothing could've prepared him for this one. The skin on his back has been whipped away, revealing sensitive tissues and muscle. The last one slashes right across, striking his spine as well as cutting into exposed muscle. He howls as it sets his body ablaze, scorching deep and slow into him.  He lets all of the tension out from his body, allowing his head to meet the cold ground beneath him. His breath comes out in short, choppy releases mingled with sounds of torment and despair.

"That's what you wanted, right Patton?" Rage teases Patton. Deceit hears Patton snivelling in defeat, sobbing quietly under his breath. He had sunken into the corner with his face in his hands as the whipping went on and on with no end in sight.

Frankly, Deceit couldn't care less about the so called 'Morale' side. It was his fault that Deceit had been flogged so severely in the first place. In fact, he  _hopes_ that Patton is receiving the harshest guilt, because he sure as hell deserves it.

"Stand, Deceit. Come sit by us." Pride orders to his gravely injured prisoner.

 _They're joking, right? They have to be._ Deceit thinks bitterly, grinding his teeth together in some effort to control his pain. He clenches his non-broken fist tightly until it shakes, knuckles white with pressure.

"Why don't you help him up, Lust?" Rage offers. Deceit hears this and immediately feels his heart race. He starts to crawl away, grunting with every amount of force it took. Now that his bursts of adrenaline have stopped, he can feel the exhaustion slowly taking over again.

"Gladly..." Deceit hears footsteps approaching him as he pathetically tries to claw himself away from them, tears running from his eyes. He's not fast enough, every single movement forcing a scream from deep within him.

"Ah, ah, ah! What was the first thing I told you not do to? Hmm?" Lust mocks him, slowly walking alongside the struggling side. Deceit freezes immediately when Lust holds his foot over Deceit's bruised wrist, threatening to stomp down onto it.

"You don't fight back..." Lust whispers teasingly, slowly lowering his foot so that it nearly touches his poor injured hand. Deceit is holding his breath, muffled sobs being the only sound he lets out. His heart is racing, just imagining Lust's unforgiving stomp to come down and smash it into many more pieces.

"Good boy, see? Now..." Lust praises him, noticing that Deceit is trying his very best to not move or make any noise, as to hopefully appease him.

Lust cackles as he reaches down and grabs Deceit by his fractured wrist. He screams out as Lust pulls him up by that arm, putting further strain on the many broken bones in his wrist. Tender throbbing nails into him like it was forced in with a hammer, penetrating his bones completely.

Deceit grabs onto Lust for balance, still screaming as he is lifted to his feet torturously. Lust wraps an arm around him to support his weight, and in doing so presses against the deep cuts that riddle his back. More yelling and tears follow as he is led slowly step-by-step until they reach the chair.

Lust shoves him down into it harshly, cackling as Deceit holds his broken hand to his chest. He is crying, arms shaking as he tries to squeeze it closer to his chest in order to protect it. He doesn't know if he can take much more pain at the moment, and he knows for a fact that it won't stop them.

Through his teary, swollen eyes Deceit looks to Patton in the corner. Patton returns his gaze and mouths 'I'm so sorry' to Deceit. Deceit turns away from him, anger reaching his face instantaneously. 

 _Go to hell._ Deceit wishes he could yell to Patton, but he won't risk another flogging. Patton seems to almost hear what was said in his head, as his crying grows louder and more uncontrollable.

"Take Patton back to his cell, Lust." Pride orders Lust, who quickly grabs Patton and leads the snivelling side out of the room and down the hall. He returns shortly after, taking his own seat at the table.

"You know, you're totally right Lust. Deceit is way more fun to torture than the rest of them." Rage states, pleased with the quick work that he made with Deceit. Lust chuckles madly in agreement.

"It's quite nostalgic." Pride adds. They all watch Deceit try to mask his pain, failing completely to stop the tears from falling down his cheeks. He doesn't know why he's trying to act like nothing hurts. They know that it does, considering they're the ones who did this to him. It almost feels like a survival tactic. In order to survive in this case, he's trying to blend in as to not draw attention to himself. Turns out he can't even do that right anymore.

Suddenly Lust goes quiet, closing his eyes in focus like he's listening to someone. 

"Lust, what the hel--" Rage begins to ask before Lust shushes him quickly. Deceit is also watching Lust, careful not to make it seem so obvious. When Lust's eyes open again, he has a demented grin spread across his face. Deceit looks away almost immediately, unable to look at that forsaken smile without memories flooding him. 

 _Waterboarding, broken ribs, electrocution, beatin--_ His mind starts replaying these things in his mind like a highlight reel.

 _Stop! Shut up!_ Deceit cuts it off quickly. The thing is with intrusive thoughts, the more you try to not think about them, the worse they get.

 _The coldest water you had ever felt. In a matter of seconds you were freezing half to death. God, how he held your shoulders tightly so that you couldn't escape..._ Deceit feels a cringe reach his face and he tries to force it off, but it seems these thoughts weren't ready to stop yet.

 _Chained up by your wrist like a dead pig in the deli. He smashed your ribcage in without breaking a sweat, all while humiliating you. Caressing your cheek as tears rolled down your face endlessly, and they never ever stopped. He stomped down hard on your broken ribs, screaming at you while all you could hear was the sound of your own bones crunching and creaking under the pressure. The only escape you had was going unconscious. Remember that?_   He knows the others are all conversing urgently, but he can't seem to hear them through his own foggy thoughts. They paint the gory scene in his head, and can almost replicate the noises. He shivers, shaking his head slightly. There's nothing he can do to stop them from coming. 

 _Lying down on a metal table, he sent a live current through your veins. The muscles in your chest contracted so tightly that it crushed the healing bones in your chest. He ran his fingers through your hair when you gave him what he wanted. He left you cowering on the floor, shaking violently as you tried to forget what it felt like. Forget. Forget. Forget. Face it, you'll never forget this._ Tingles of phantom pain run along his arms warmly. He can feel a muscle within his chest clench tight for just a moment.

 _How he beat you. Oh lord, he loves to do that. He threw you down stairs, pushed you against walls, kicked you while you were down on all four. He screamed at you to get up, to fight him. You tried, and you failed. Just like everything else you've failed at, right?_ The room swirls around him in bright shades of grey and white, like someone is throwing him across the floor.

"Hey!" Rage yells suddenly, forcing him out of his own head. Deceit blinks rapidly, looking wildly around at the 3 expectant faces of the dark sides.

"He wasn't listening again..." Lust mocks playfully. He seems to just be able to tell based on the emotion in Deceit's empty, tired eyes.

"Oh, I'll teach him how to listen alright..." Rage rises from his seat, causing Deceit's entire body to fly into panic.

"N-no--no! I can- I can listen-I promise!" Deceit almost screams, as Rage takes a step towards where he's sitting. Before he knows it, he's protecting that broken wrist again. Deceit is holding it so closely to his chest that he can feel his fast pulse against it. Rage raises his eyebrows at him with a playful grin, before backing away and taking his seat once more.

"Alright, then. Give me your wrist." Rage demands, pointing to the one caved into his chest. Deceit gasps, his entire body freezing. His eyes are wide and horror-filled, pupils lit with terror.

He understandably hesitates. There's no way he's about to give his  _broken_ hand to the person who  _broke_ it. Rage seems to not like his hesitation, as he starts getting up once again. Adrenaline runs through his body, knowing exactly what will follow should Rage come over here.

"O-Okay! Don't--I'--I'll do it-" Deceit says without thinking, slowly moving his hand from the safety of his chest. Rage senses a submissive aura and sits down, hand out to receive Deceit's very fragile wrist.

Rage grabs it a little too harshly, and Deceit nearly screams out as a burst of pain erupts from the fracture. His other hand goes to his mouth, silencing the scream that begged to come out. Rage's fingers are now tightly wrapped around the severe fracture, and Deceit notices that with a slight movement of his hand, Rage could seriously hurt him. With this knowledge, Deceit tries his best to remain calm, silent, attentive, and obedient. He fails in doing so, really acting jittery, hyper-alert, and anxious. Mostly due to the fact that the pain from his wrist hasn't hurt any less since it was broken, and that steady drips of blood continue to run down his stinging back. 

"What's wrong, dear? You look a little nervous..." Lust teases him, resting a hand on his shaking shoulder. Deceit flinches at the sudden touch, still staring at his own broken wrist in Rage's hand. What the hell was the point of this anyway?

"Now, I'm just going to make sure you listen. Got it?" Rage demands. Deceit doesn't respond right away, still petrified. 

 _Just think, with a single twist of his hand, he could drop you to the floor in tears. Deep, hot agony exploding from that area as you scream at the top of your lungs. I wonder, could you hear the fragile tendons squeak and sna--_ A thought begins to play in his head, predicting a very realistic future.

Deceit feels Rage tighten his hold on his wrist, making him yelp loudly in complete shock.

"Answer me!" Rage yells loudly, scaring him out of his mind. Deceit quickly nods his head, the pressure around his wrist jerking tears into his eyes.

"Good. Now, what were you saying Pride?" Rage asks politely to Pride, who has been sitting back and watching this unravel in amusement.

"Lust was just telling us how he heard Thomas request to see us." Pride fills them in. Deceit deflates at those words. He can't handle another scene with Thomas due to the pain. Hell, he can barely think straight as it laces around him, coiling him like barbed wire.

"I didn't hear anything." Rage insists, loosening his grip a little on Deceit's wrist as he notices the fragile side turning pale. He doesn't want Deceit to pass out, he wants him to experience all of the slow, terrible pain for as long as possible.

"Since we are finally in semi-control, I can hear all of Thomas's thoughts about what he wants. He demanded that he had felt something happen to his morale side, and urged we meet with him." Lust tells the group, feeling proud of himself and his unique abilities.

"Alright that should be simple enough, we just--" Pride begins to say before Lust adds something else.

"But...Thomas requested we bring Patton with us. He told me that if Patton wasn't there, he wouldn't talk or listen to any of us." 

"We can't bring Patton. He's not conditioned, and he's unreliable as a whole!" Rage demands angrily, clenching his fist instinctively to let out some of that anger. Deceit whimpers loudly as it tightens yet again, doubling the agony that festers inside his entire forearm like an infection. Rage finally releases the pressure again, laughing at Deceit.

"Wait, that's it! We can use him!" Rage deduces deviously, pointing to the deceitful side. Deceit feels their eyes settle onto his pained face. Pride begins to laugh as well, as if he had discovered it too.

"He can disguise as Patton, so when we bring our hostage, we know that he'll follow his script indefinitely." Pride schemes evilly.

Deceit's heart nearly stops. He can't disguise himself, he's way too debilitated and tired. He would stay disguised for a maximum of 10 seconds before completely fainting.

"No-!" The word slips through his clenched teeth before he can stop himself.

"Oh, I'm sorry. What was that?" Rage stares at him with a sneer, glancing down at Deceit's wrist, and then back into his eyes. That simple threat alone sends his mind spiralling. What does he do? Does he try to explain? Does he just apologize over and over, hoping that Rage won't do it? Does he just sit in silence and accept his fate instead of going through the humiliation of trying to spare himself the pain?

"Wai-wait..no- no-!" A final plead is the only thing that he can manage to say before Rage twists his wrist dramatically. Before he knows it, he's howling in agony as his forearm pounds with fire. It feels like they've crushed his hand with a hydraulic press, or smashed it in with a hammer.

"Expla-- I can-can ex-explain!! Ple-please!" Deceit shouts to them, choking on the fresh sensation of tear-jerking anguish. Through his blurred vision, Deceit sees Rage look to Pride, who nods in agreement.

Rage returns his wrist to its most comfortable position, still holding onto it a little too tightly. Deceit takes some quick gulps of air, trying to quiet the involuntary whining that keeps escaping his throat.

"Well? We're waiting..." Lust urges him, eyebrows raised mockingly. Deceit forces the words out before thinking about them.

"I can't- disguise as Patton...not like this." Deceit gestures to himself with his free hand. 

"And why's that?" Pride asks, suspicion dancing in his warm, caramel eyes.

"It takes- alot of energy to dis-disguise myself.. I.. I won't be able to la-last very long. I haven't sssle--ssssssslep-" Deceit quickly stops that sentence, clearing his throat in frustration with himself. The dark sides around him laugh at his inability to get that word out.

"I haven't ssle-slept in days, I don't have the-the energy, not like th-this." Deceit corrects himself, finishing it with difficulty. Hearing himself stutter is embarrassing, as he had grown out of that a long time ago.

Pride just laughs at him. This time not because of his childish stutter, but because of what he had said. What was so funny about that?

"No, you don't get it, do you? This is our chance, the one we have been waiting for. Our chance to finally take control..." Pride starts, standing and leaning across the table to him. Deceit tries backing into his chair, but he can't move at all with Rage holding such a vulnerable part of him.

" _Y_ _ou are **not** blowing this for us_ ** _. I don't care how goddamn tired you are, you're going play along as Patton and you're going to LIKE IT!!_** " Pride screams at him, watching Deceit cower beneath his shadow. That is the first time Deceit has ever seen Pride so unhinged.

Pride takes his seat again, smiling like nothing had happened. He adjusts his crown to its correct position, as it had slightly tilted out of place while he was yelling. Deceit is paralyzed still by the sudden outburst, finding himself quivering out of pure terror.

"Disguise yourself. Right now." Pride orders to him with a playful smile. Rage releases his wrist finally, and Deceit quickly snatches it away. A little too quickly, the sudden movement drawing in a pain so terrible that it made him dizzy.

Deceit looks around at their faces, all expecting him to turn into Patton immediately. He can't do this, they must know that. But if he doesn't follow orders...

Then nothing will be different. He learned the minute that Rage snapped his wrist that it didn't matter anymore. He just can't bring himself to not obey them. The thought of weeks in that cellar alone is enough to break him down. His best chance at survival is to listen, so that is what he has to do.

Deceit closes his eyes tight, trying to ignore the torment in his body for just a few seconds. He pictures Patton's appearance, what he wears, what he sounds like. Blue t-shirt, silly logo, grey puppy hoodie wrapped around his neck, black glasses. With a deep breath, he wills himself to look like Patton.

A lifting sensation lets him know that it has worked. It's followed by an immense draining wave, stealing away what little consciousness he has left. Deceit immediately slams his hand on the table to stop himself from falling over, feeling sick from how tired he now was. 

Pride makes a sound of approval and looks to Lust to bring them there. Deceit can already feel the form he has taken thinning out, and he prays to himself that Thomas won't notice. His eyes are drooping shut, body begging him for sleep. Deceit jerks himself awake as they all sink down into the real world.

 

_Thomas's POV_

Thomas is pacing back and forth in his living room waiting for a response. He told them 20 minutes ago, so what was taking so long? He's been jumping at every single noise and misplaced object since his chat with Virgil. He needs to talk to them, try to reason with them. He needs to know that Patton is okay. He freezes as soon as he feels the presence of his sides rise up, and he spins around to face them.

The three are here; Lust, and two others that Thomas doesn't know. They are all grinning evilly, taking the places in which his normal sides would stand. The crowned one stands where Roman once stood, Lust is in Logan's and the other one is standing where Patton stood. When he looks over to Virgil's spot, he sees Patton. 

"Patton!" He exclaims excitedly, feeling a surge of happiness at the sight of a familiar side. That soon dies out when he realizes the terrible condition of Patton. He is holding his wrist with tears in his eyes, face stuck in a grimace.  His eyes reach the wrist, which is bruised terribly and bent very dramatically out of place. In that moment he realizes that everything Virgil had said was true, they were being hurt by these dark sides. In this moment all he wants to do is help them, disregarding the consequences entirely.

 

_Deceit's POV_

Deceit sees Thomas watching him closely, eyes wide in shock. They move to his wrist, which he tries to cover, but fails to block it from his view.

"Are- are you okay Patton?" Thomas asks him hesitantly, not even looking at the other sides yet. 

"Hello, Thomas. We haven't had the pleasure of meeting." Pride holds out his hand to Thomas, who looks him up and down with a scowl.

"And who are you?" Thomas snaps at him, refusing to shake his hand. Pride simply chuckles, dropping his hand to his side.

"I am Pride, this is Rage and, well, you already know Lust." Pride gestures to each of them, but Thomas never takes his eyes from Pride's face.

"Where's Deceit?" Thomas asks, just now noticing the absence of the side.

"He works for us now. He's probably guarding the cells." Lust adds in with a grin in Deceit's way. Deceit sees Thomas's look of disappointment at his cowardliness and nearly breaks character.

"Patton, I am so sorry I let this happen..." Thomas apologizes to Deceit, ashamed that he couldn't do anything to help them.

"I kno-know you are, kiddo... But right no-now the only way to help us- is to let the darker sides of you take control..." Deceit answers back to Thomas in a sweet, yet pained voice. He's struggling immensely to keep the disguise up, his heart beating slowly in response to the low energy in his system.

 _Just a little longer._ Deceit keeps lying to himself, trying to keep pushing on. Thomas is quiet for a few minutes, judging his options before he turns back to Pride.

"You have to  **promise** you won't hurt them.” Thomas insists to Pride, who raises an eyebrow in amusement. Deceit nearly buckles as his legs go numb for a second. He's too fatigued to even hold himself up. They need to hurry up before he loses consciousness all together, breaking his disguise. 

"You have my word." Pride crosses his heart, offering his hand to Thomas once more. Thomas stares at it quietly, lifting his own hand slowly.

 _Please, please just shake it. Faster, I can't do this for much longer._ Deceit urges Thomas in his head, his eyes drooping down forcefully.

Thomas's hand shakily approaches Pride's painstakingly slow. Deceit feels his disguise start to disappear, his body simply unable to provide the vigor and life it takes to stay in that disguise. It's thinning out and he looks down at himself, watching the bright blue t-shirt turn translucent. He can see the colour of his bare chest underneath.

Thomas is hesitating, wasting the valuable seconds that Deceit needs to keep this up. Nobody seems to be noticing that his face is slowly turning half scaled once again, his eye morphing into from brown to yellow.

Thomas looks determined and afraid, like he's finally made up his mind. He nearly shakes Pride's hand, but gets distracted once 'Patton' drops to his knees with a cry of anguish.

"Patton! Are you oka--" Thomas begins to say before Deceit's disguise completely deteriorates, leaving only himself behind. They are all staring at him now as he fully falls forward onto the ground, eyes closed but still somewhat conscious.

"Wait--  _Deceit?_ " He hears Thomas state in disbelief. His body falters, giving into his mind's demand for rest. He fades away, dreading what might happen to him when he wakes up.

 

_Thomas's POV_

Thomas stares at the unconscious side for a little longer, before snapping back to Pride's shocked face. He tears his hand away from Pride in resistance, eyes dancing with hate.

"What kind of sick game is this?" He seethes at the dark sides. Pride quickly gestures to Deceit and forces him back into the mind palace, disappearing from the room completely.

"A test of sorts-" Pride starts to lie, but he's not a good liar whatsoever, not like Deceit is. 

"Shut up, I demanded you bring  _Patton_! And you didn't fulfill that, so I have nothing to say to any of you." Thomas states to them angrily. Before they can muster anything else to say, Thomas spins on his heel and marches straight out of his house.

 

_Lust's POV_

They are all left there alone. Pride's hands are curled into tight fists, shaking with anger.

"Pride, are you---" Rage starts before being cut off.

" _That little shit is going to pay for this..._ "  Pride seethes, eyes dancing with fire. He composes himself again, but he's still pretty unraveled.

"Lust, get ready, because you've got a  **lot** of punishment to dish out." Pride says to Lust, who grins eagerly.

 


	30. Taking a Stand

_Deceit's POV_

Deceit is at peace in an unconscious state, drifting into the endless darkness of an empty mind. Turns out he was so mentally exhausted that his tormented mind couldn't even create the usual nightmares that haunted him every time he closed his eyes. He feels nothing. No pain, no sadness, no anger. He is absolutely numb, and is very grateful for that. He can feel something pulling him from his restful sleep. He begs for it to not end, he is not prepared to enter the real world again. 

 _Please, please let me stay._ Deceit pleads to himself, but it's not up to him. It's up to whoever is forcing him awake again. A faint pain begins to light on his back, and that's how he knows that he is about to wake back up. It all intensifies in a blink, his wrist automatically blazing to life.

 _No, no, don't wake up. Not yet. Please, just a little longer._ Deceit is begging his body, the peaceful numbness now completely dissipating into pure pain like mist bursting into flame. He can feel his face frozen into a grimace, anticipating the bright shock of reentering the world.

 

It is sudden, yet expected when light and faces flicker into his view.

"-He awake?" Pride's voice greets him. Deceit wants to pretend like he hasn't woken up yet, just to stall his time for as long as possible.

"I don't know, but I know how to find out..." Deceit feels Lust looming over him. A sudden explosion of torment erupts from his broken wrist. He hollers, teary eyes flying open as his other hand reaches blindly to his wrist.

"See? He's up." Rage cackles as Lust pushes Deceit against the wall, sitting him up against it. Deceit's pained eyes land on them with an expression of hate and regret. Pride's infuriated look makes him flinch.

 _Why on earth is he looking at me like that? What the hell did I do now--_ The memories of his latest failure finally come back to him.

 _Oh._ That is the only word that comes to him. He remembers his disguise faltering, revealing himself to Thomas. But that was in no way his fault. He warned them that he couldn't keep it up for that long. He  **told** them the risk of making him disguise himself. They didn't listen, and that failure is on them. There is no way they can pin this one on him.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Pride seethes at him, eyes narrowed into a morph of total anger.

"It's not my fault- I told you I couldn't do it." Deceit meekly defends himself.

"Not your fault!?" Pride hollers at him, making him flinch away. They sit in tense silent, all staring at Deceit, who stares down at the ground.

"Lust, take him to the cellar, **now**. I don't want to see his face for at least a  **month**!" Pride loudly orders to Lust, who immediately stands with a grin.

 _A month? **A month?!**_ Deceit thinks to himself in full panic.

"But- I--" Deceit begins.

" **No! You don't get to say anything anymore! You've blown it! Take him the hell away!!** " Pride screams at them. Lust quickly runs over to him, lifting him up by the arms. Deceit is too stunned and frightened to do anything as Lust drags him off into the hallway.

 

 

Lust is pushing him down these familiar halls once again, barely slowed by Deceit's constant struggling. He's crying for help, yelling at them to stop. He sees the door to the cellar and his blood freezes solid in his veins.

"W-wait Lust!" Deceit screams at his torturer desperately. He just needs to explain himself. He's sure that even a side as demented as Lust could understand his angle.

"Sorry Love, boss's orders." Lust giggles as they near the door. He lets go of one of Deceit's arms to reach for the doorknob. Deceit twists his body out of Lust's grasp and immediately sprints away from him. Walls are flying past him as he darts away from Lust, who he believes is following him.

"Oh come now, don't make this harder than it needs to be..." Lust calls out after him, still sounding far away. Deceit skids to a halt before he slams right into a dead end wall. He barely ran, but he is heaving and panting. He is in such terrible condition that even a short sprint such as that can suck all of the life out of him.

Lust laughs lowly as he slowly approaches Deceit, who has his aching back pressed against the back wall. 

"Lu-Lust le-let me explain- please-" Deceit pleads pathetically, cradling his broken hand gently in his arms.

"Save yourself the breath, Dear." Lust teases him, arms crossed sarcastically as he stands across from his trembling prisoner. Deceit skips over his demand, desperate to explain himself.

"I- don't deserve to- to be locked in that cel-cellar again. I..I didn't.. I didn't do anything wron--" 

"Oh come now, you know that's not how this works." Lust interrupts him, taking a step towards him. Deceit swallows hard, trying to put coherent sentences together in his head.

"I did- exactly what Pride wan-wanted me to. I warned you- all that I wouldn't be ab-able to hold the disguise fo-for very long, but you didn't listen to me. How- is it fair that I am being pu-punished for something I couldn't control?" Deceit explains himself, stutters forced from him every single time a new spike of pain rises beyond a tolerable level.

"You think that actually matters? So what if you have followed orders to the exact letter?  That still doesn't make you invulnerable to being punished..." Lust is laughing at him now, his bright features dimmed by the shadowy facade of the hallway.

"Are you unfamiliar with how this all started, Love? We  _kidnapped_ you, and tied you up for days while _torturing_ you. Did you actually believe we'd ever see you as equal?" Lust is mocking him now. Deceit stumbles slightly, fingers scraping along the wall to catch himself. He always knew that of course, but hearing Lust say it out loud somehow makes it worse. There was always a shadow of hope that he would someday be included as a member, not a prisoner. Lust had crushed that hope with a few sentences.

"Bu-but it's not- fair!" Deceit shouts, feeling tears of frustration run down his cheeks.

"Oh honey, life isn't fair. You of all sides should know that." Another step closer. Deceit is hyperventilating, willing to do anything to not go back to that place. He followed their insane instructions, and what does he get? 50 slashes, a broken wrist, and a month in the cellar.

"Now, let's go. You know better than to disobey me." Lust turns to the side, gesturing to Deceit to start walking back to the cellar door. Deceit feels himself stiffen, his breathing tighten, his posture straighten. Lust realizes his sudden shift in energy and takes an authoritative stance.

"No." Deceit states simply, voice free from shaking and stuttering. His expression is emotionless and cold, staring down Lust with sharp eyes. He swears he sees Lust flinch slightly.

"I'm sorry?" Lust asks, pretending to not have heard the clear action of disobedience. Deceit holds his head high, despite the need to cower into the closest corner.

"No. I won't go. If you want me in there, you're gonna have to get me in there yourself." Deceit declares, releasing his wrist so that both of his arms lay at his sides. He slows his breathing, trying to keep his mind off of the pain. He's taking a last stand, knowing full well that after this, Lust is going to make sure he will never stand on his own ever again. Lust's eyes darken with frustration and anger as he stares into the defiant face of his formerly obedient prisoner.

"I'm getting sick of this, Deceit." Lust pinches the bridge of his nose as if he has a headache, eyes shut tightly in disappointment. Deceit flinches at the use of his name, and not one of Lust's many nicknames for him.

"Don't do this now, not when we've made so much progress together." That statement confuses Deceit. 

"You know what will happen if you don't do this, right? You'll never leave that cellar again if you don't do as I say." Lust warns him with a tone of desperation. Deceit is bewildered by this sudden change of tone within Lust, who he normally sees as completely maniacal and free of any level of empathy.

"Why do you care? You did all of this to me!" Deceit spits, gesturing to his broken, malnourished body.

"You're the only dark side that is any fun to play with anymore!" Lust shouts at him childishly. Deceit just stares at him, hatred seeping into his eyes with ease.

"You...don't understand what it's like, Deceit. To be bored all of the time, to have an illogical desire to do literally anything. I can never just relax, I am always looking for something to entertain me. It's torture in itself." Lust goes on. 

 _Is he serious? Is he actually **complaining** about his pitiful existence to the person who he tortures relentlessly on a daily basis?!_ Deceit thinks to himself bitterly, glaring at him.

"But you...you always entertain me. And if you're gone, trapped in that cellar forever, then what will I do? Who will I play with?" Lust urges him, a slight sheen of tears entering his eyes. They dissipate immediately when he blinks them away, eager to not look weak in front of him.

"You know what?" Deceit steps towards Lust, who straightens himself again.

" _Go to hell._ " Deceit hisses directly into Lust's face. Deceit doesn't wait for a response, he simply walks right past Lust. He can nearly feel Lust twitch with insanity, his glare reaching the back of Deceit's head as he bravely walks away. A shiver makes its way down his spine, sensing the impending doom of Lust's wrath. 

"And where exactly do you think you're going?" Lust seethes at him, looking over his shoulder at Deceit, who doesn't stop his half-limping walk. He doesn't answer, it won't do him any good. Besides, he doesn't even know where he'd go if he managed to get out.

"Hey! I'm talking to you,  _darling._ " Lust suddenly lashes out at him, grabbing him by the broken wrist. Deceit's confidence breaks immediately, and they are once again face-to-face. Deceit sinks ever downwards, screaming out in pain as Lust grips the fracture while glaring manically into his eyes.

"Le-let go of me!" Deceit screams at him, pulling away as hard as he can without injuring himself further. Lust refuses to give in, holding him tighter.

"You can't leave me! You'll never leave me, got it?!" Lust shouts at him deliriously. Deceit can tell Lust is losing control of himself, and that is completely terrifying to him.

"Now, get down into that damn cellar!" Lust screams, pushing him towards the door harshly. Deceit is suddenly very aware of his position in the hallway, being right in the doorframe of the dreaded cellar. Still holding onto his howling, resisting prisoner, Lust pulls his keys from his right pocket and fumbles with the lock.

"No!" Deceit yells over and over, doing everything in his power to escape. Lust merely sighs, wrapping is arm around Deceit's neck, locking him into a chokehold. Deceit's hands claw at his arm desperately, breath coming to him in slow short gasps.

"Here we are..." Lust says softly to him as he finally manages to unlock the door, opening it. A cold wisp of air greets Deceit, along with the dusty smell of complete isolation.

In this moment of complete petrified dread, Deceit only knows one thing. He was not going into that cellar. He'd sooner end his own life than allow that to happen again.

"Wai-wait, we can talk about this! Please Lust, I know you are re-resonable-"

 _Pfft. Resonable?_ He thinks to himself bitterly, staring up at Lust, who looks down at him with power hungry eyes.

"Sorry, Love. You forfeited that option the moment you stopped obeying me.." Lust says, releasing him from the chokehold and grabbing onto both of his arms. Deceit is facing the open, shadowy door, heels basically teetering on the edge of the first step down the stairs.

"Lust-"

"Don't worry, I won't tell the others about your little escapade today. I would hate to get my toy taken away from me forever." He feels Lust's hands loosen around his arms.

 _No. I'm not going down there._ His teeth grind together, muscles stiffening as they ready to leap into action. 

Deceit jerks his arms away from Lust roughly and jumps behind his captor swiftly,  his sweet friend adrenaline sending him into full flight. Then, his tunnel visions on Lust, who doesn't get the chance to react.

 _I hate him._ Deceit seethes at Lust in his mind, the world slowing around him.

 _I want him to hurt him._  Deceit finds his hands on Lust's chest, stepping forward powerfully. Lust's eyes widen, realizing what Deceit's intentions are. Lust is now standing with his back faced to the staircase to the cellar.

 

_I want revenge._

 

Deceit shoves Lust as hard as he can, disregarding the terrible pain in his wrist. Lust's scream catches taught in his throat as he is thrown backwards into the doorway, flying down the stairs uncontrollably. It's all a whirl of action. One minute Lust is standing right in front of him. The next thing Deceit knows, Lust is sprawled out at the bottom of the cellar.

His expression breaks, realizing what he had done. Deceit inhales sharply, processing who exactly he had just shoved down a flight of stairs.

 _Oh God. Oh my God, what the hell did I just do?_ He thinks to himself, staring down at the figure of Lust in frozen awe.  He needs to move, to do something, before Lust wakes up. Deceit stays petrified in place for around 5 minutes, just waiting for Lust to wake up and punish him for this horrid action of disrespect.

 _What the hell am I doing just standing here!?_ Deceit snaps himself out of it, looking guiltily around. He has to remind himself to breathe, his thoughts sprinting away from a controllable level.

"Okay, okay, it's fine. I just..I need to get his keys and get out of here." Deceit says out loud, hoping that it would help him move into action. He swallows hard, legs shaking as he tries to take the first step down the stairs.

 _I need to do this, I need to escape from them._ He forces his foot down onto the first step of the staircase, shivering as the cold from the doorway reaches him. Slowly and steadily, he makes his way down.

Lust is laying flat on his back at the bottom of the stairs, a puddle of blood forming around his head. Deceit expects to feel some sort of satisfaction, but none comes. His soul still sits painfully empty within his chest. He disregards this for now, forcing himself to kneel down at the side of his enemy. Lust stirs slightly with a moan, causing Deceit to jump back onto his feet, ready to sprint right back up those stairs. Lust goes silent and still, face relaxed into a restful guise. Carefully, Deceit forces his hands towards Lust's pants into his right pocket. He searches around for the keys, feeling them with his fingers and grabbing them quickly out of his pocket. Not wanting to waste a second longer, Deceit turns to the staircase and takes one step up before freezing. He takes one last look at the unconscious Lust, feeling no remorse for what he did.

Deceit ascends from the cellar, locking the door behind him without a second thought.

  


	31. Bargains

_Deceit's POV_

He doesn't know where to go or what to do. He stands idle in the hallway across from the cellar, debating the many paths he could take. Deceit now has the keys to escape, but the door to freedom is right across from where Rage and Pride are currently situated. He has options; First being he could try to sneak past them, second being he could try to fight them off (which would basically be impossible in his current state), or he could trick them in some way. How would he do that? The moment they suspect Lust's sudden disappearance and go to find out where he might've gone, he's as good as dead. Deceit needs a way to make them believe that Lust is still here...but how could he do that?

Disguise. Of course. Deceit can disguise himself as Lust, and hang around Pride and Rage until they leave, letting him sneak out the front door unnoticed. Alright, well how the hell is he going to manage to pull that off? He couldn't keep himself disguised as Patton, so how would he be able to keep it up for as long as he needed to? Deceit needs some rest, or else what happened before would happen again. 

Deceit looks around for somewhere to rest, only spotting several cells that hid the light sides within. The hospital-like room he was in before is on the other side of the house, so that's not an option. He needs to crash with one of the light sides. But which one? Definitely not Patton, Roman is way too dramatic and would make a scene, and Virgil has most likely sunken into insanity. That only leaves one side left, Logan. Deceit sighs, glancing over to the second cell in the row, Logan's cell. 

Deceit slowly makes his way across the hallway to Logan's cell, careful to make his footsteps light as to not draw unwanted attention. He pulls out the ring of keys that Lust had, and inserts one after the other until the fourth one clicks. He turns it slowly, hearing someone inhale from within the closed room. He pushes on the heavy metal door and it slowly gives way. 

Logan is kneeling in the center of the smallish room, chained to two poles by his wrists. He is shirtless, both body and face bruised with deep shades of twilight. His eyes show fear, but meld into confusion and relief at the sight of Deceit. He almost looks happy to see the Dark Side, which is new for both of them.

"Deceit? What are you doing here?" Logan asks him, his voice obviously being forced into one of confidence. Deceit is tired, too tired to explain right now, but he will try. He closes the door softly, suddenly feeling embarrassed as Logan can see the slashes deeply cut into his back. He looks back at Logan, whose face is expectant, waiting for answers. 

"I- locked Lust in the cellar and escaped from him.." Deceit finally replies after a few seconds of putting his thoughts together. Logan's eyes soften, noticing that Deceit is still struggling to come to terms with his sudden freedom.

"What are you doing in here?" Logan inquires, most definitely thinking that Deceit would have already escaped by now.

"Well, I have a plan to escape, but I can't do it...not like..." Deceit looks down at himself in shame.

"Not like this. I need rest before I can try anything." Logan nods, quietly understanding that Deceit wasn't here to save him. Then, his face lights up like he has an idea.

"And you want to rest here, yes?" Deceit raises an eyebrow at him in confusion. Is he really in any position to be asking for anything?

"There aren't many options, so yes." Deceit admits to him, still suspicious in Logan's shift of motives.

"I'll let you, but you need to do something for me." Logan bargains. 

"Oh really? Why would I do that, hmm? What's stopping me from just laying down here?" Deceit mocks him playfully, sensing that Logan has some bigger plan.

"I'll scream for Rage to come, and he'll find you." At Logan's threat, Deceit stiffens. It isn't worth the risk. He swallows his very small amount of pride.

"What do you want?" Deceit demands shortly, irritated that he still has to obey someone other than himself.

"I want..I want you to get Patton in here with me." Logan admits to Deceit, who almost rolls his eyes. He should've seen that coming.

"If you let him go, there's no way he'll get out of here. But, I can keep him safe.." That's really the last thing he wants to do, but if it can guarantee his own safety...

"Fine. I'll do it, but you better keep your end of the deal." Deceit threatens with a snarl, turning on his heel and opening the door once more. He hears a sigh of relief come from Logan as the door closes once again.

 

Deceit steps cautiously out into the hallway, still a little paranoid. No one is there. Deceit carefully walks to the next cell over, Patton's cell. He exhales angrily as he puts the key into the door and turns it until he hears a click. He enters reluctantly, feeling a warm hatred for the side that had sacrificed him very recently.

A muffled inhale is what greets him from across the room. Patton is sitting cross-legged, both arms tied behind his back and ankle chained to the floor. His face remains empty of bruises, leading Deceit to believe that the Dark Sides still haven't harmed him. His mouth is taped shut, eyes red and swollen from endless bouts of crying. Patton's eyes fill with tears at the sight of the deceitful side, muffled sobs hiccuping from within his chest.

Deceit lets out a long, frustrated breath as he walks over to Patton. Patton flinches away from him as Deceit kneels down behind him, inserting a smaller key into the cuffs around his hands. He releases the cuffs, tossing them to the other side of the room. Deceit then moves to his ankle, quickly unlocking that one as well. 

Patton stays still for a few seconds, too surprised to do anything. He soon regains his wits, quickly tearing the tape from his mouth.

"De-Deceit--why would you--" He begins sobbing, but Deceit is frankly not in the right state of mind to deal with any of this. 

"I'm not here for you, alright? Now get up." Deceit declares loudly, glaring down at the morale side of Thomas. Patton stifles his sobbing, slowly rising to his feet.

"Than-thank you-"

"Save it. Just go to Logan's cell before I change my mind." Deceit growls at him. Patton obeys and walks out of the cell, understanding fully why Deceit is being so hostile towards him. Deceit follows shortly after, closing and locking the door as he leaves.

 

As he reenters Logan's cell, he hears Patton's soft crying. Patton has his arms wrapped around Logan's torso, while Logan continuously tells him 'It's nothing' and 'I'm fine'. Deceit would have preferred to stay in Patton's cell alone, but he needs someone to look after him, to wake him up if Rage comes to them. He shuts the door tightly, trying to ignore the two sides talking to one another.

As Deceit begins to lower himself onto the cold ground, Logan calls his name.

"Before you do that, could you release me?" Logan asks him meekly. Deceit crosses his arms in annoyance.

"That wasn't part of the  _deal_." He teases with a mischievous grin. Logan's eyes look desperately through him while Patton sobs against his chest. He mouths the word ' _please_ ' to Deceit. Deceit feels...something flutter within his chest, a certain strange desire to help in some way. He gives in to this feeling, face softening into a look of content annoyance.

"Just..just don't try to leave. You won't make it very far, not in your condition, alright?" Deceit warns him. The logical side nods in agreement. This could come back to ruin everything for Deceit, but for some reason... he is willing to take the risk.

Deceit walks over to Logan and Patton, grabbing the shackle and unlocking it. Both chains clang to the ground. Logan's free arms immediately wrap around Patton, finally able to hug him back.

Deceit walks away from them and lays onto the ground. Comfort seeps into his tired, sore bones as he closes his eyes. Logan and Patton continue to talk between themselves, but Deceit doesn't really care. He's too tired to care at all. 

He falls into a deep slumber fairly quickly.

 

_Patton's POV_

"Logan, I feel--I feel terrible for what I did." Patton admits to Logan, who holds him in his arms. Patton is looking at Deceit, who is unconscious on the ground. Every once and a while, he stirs or whimpers in his sleep.

"You did what you thought was right, and nothing more." Logan assures him with a smile. Patton smiles back, cuddling against his chest. He never wants to leave Logan ever again. If he had to stay here forever, he wouldn't mind. As long as they are together, he is okay.

"Do you think he's going to leave us here?" Patton asks quietly, scared that Deceit might hear.

"It wouldn't surprise me..." Logan responds, also looking at Deceit.

"But you don't need to worry about that, okay? I promised I would get us out of here, and I intend to keep that promise, no matter how long it will take." Safety washes over Patton for the first time in a long time at Logan's promise.

"Okay.. okay I trust you." Patton says to him, closing his eyes in content.

Very soon, Patton drifts off into uninterrupted sleep, still laying in Logan's arms.

 

  _Deceit's POV_

"--up! Deceit!" Loud whispers wake him from his sleep. He looks drowsily around to see Logan's terrified expression.

"Wha-what?" Deceit asks. He suddenly hears footsteps drawing close from outside their cell door. His heart leaps in his chest as he immediately jumps onto his feet. He panics, mind racing to figure out how to save them all from the impending doom at their door. It finally clicks in his mind, he must disguise himself now. He's guessing he didn't get much rest, but it will be enough because it  **has** to be enough.

"Okay just- just relax, and play along. Alright?" He demands to the two light sides, who hold onto each other for dear life. Logan nods, determined as he forces Patton to get behind him protectively. 

Deceit takes a deep breath and lets his mind wonder back to Lust. It's hard to keep focused on him, mind constantly threatening to dip down into the memories he didn't want to relive. He focuses on his appearance, clothes and hair accented in gold, face always stretched into a menacing, sadistic smile. His beady, honey-yellow eyes sparkling with mischief. He wills himself to take on this appearance, and feels body get heavier with clothing. When he looks down at himself, he nearly gags. Deceit is now completely disguised as the side he hated the most.

Deceit looks back at Logan and Patton, who stare at him with mouths agape. They all hear the lock turn and release. Deceit turns to face the door, relaxing his face into a smile. For the sake of all of them, he has to get this right.

"Lust?" Rage greets as the door opens, eyes landing onto Deceit's clever disguise.

"Ah, there you are. What are you doing?" Rage asks him with a grin. Deceit swallows the disgusting taste of bitterness in his mouth.

"Teaching these 'Lovebirds' some lessons..." Deceit fakes a sugary tone, glancing back at Logan and Patton with a wink.

"Pride wants to talk with us." Rage demands.

"But I was just getting started..." Deceit fakes a look of disappointment. Rage rolls his eyes in amusement, and steps aside, gesturing to Deceit to follow him. Deceit feels a pit drop in his stomach, nervousness flooding him in a wave of pins and needles. He forces his legs to move toward the door.

"I'll be back shortly, keep each other company!" Deceit shouts back at the light sides, forming his own web of lies in a perfectly disguised plan. Now, they get to stay together, and Deceit can soon make his escape.

Rage and Deceit walk out, locking the door behind them.

"Now, I'd be careful with what you say. Pride has been a little...angry since Deceit's failure." At the sound of his own name, Deceit nearly jumps out of his skin. 

"I'll keep that in mind." Deceit responds playfully.

They enter the dining room, where Pride is already seated at the head of the table. Rage walks over and slips into his own seat, Deceit following closely behind to do the same. He catches himself before he sits into the wrong seat, the one stained in his blood. Instead, he walks over to Lust's seat, and sits down at their table.

"I'm tired of this. Of making progress, and then having that useless snake ruin everything..." Pride seethes to them, twitching with insane wrath.

"I'm not playing games anymore." Pride assures them both. Rage seems happy with the sudden change of pace in Pride, while Deceit can't keep an expression of surprise and worry from coming onto his face.

"Either Thomas lets us in...or I'll kill one of the other sides." Pride admits to the two. Deceit can't stop a sharp inhale from coming from him. Suddenly, the Dark Side's eyes are on him.

"Do you have something to say? Hm?" Pride demands him, Deceit's heart threatening to break through his ribcage.

"No- I just-" He clears his throat nervously before continuing, forcing himself back into character.

"Are you sure?- I mean- it can have very drastic consequences if you end another side's life." Deceit warns Pride, trying to throw him off this new, deranged path of revenge he has strolled down.

"Good! It will be the perfect bargaining chip." Pride grins madly.

"Which side would you choose?" Rage asks, smiling as well, finally happy with the route they are taking. Deceit's mouth goes dry as he sits there helplessly.

"It can't be Deceit, no matter how much I would like to see his throat cut. We need him, unfortunately." Deceit feels a strange sense of relief, but it is soon washed down with a cold feeling of dread.

Pride and Rage sit there in silence a little longer, brainstorming almost definitely on which side to kill.

"I've got it." Pride suddenly says to them, eyes lighting up with an idea.

Deceit sits in wordless horror, waiting for one of their names to come from his mouth. Pride looks at the two, face split into an evil sneer.

 

"Patton." 


	32. Snakes and Schemes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you read this, I need you all to know that I am so sorry for leaving this story unfinished for so long. I'll be honest, I planned to not finish it, but after months of trying to move on, I've realized I can't leave you all hanging. I hope you guys can forgive me, and I hope this chapter is good enough to make up for the months of absence. There will be a two part finale after this chapter, so stay tuned! And I know you have no reason to believe I'll actually write an ending, but for whatever it's worth, I promise to you that the finale will be fantastic.
> 
> Thank you all so much, and I love you guys <3  
> -Starry

_Deceit's POV_

Deceit tries to mask the look of utter shock on his face, and it seems to work surprisingly well for the most part. 

"Patton, hmm? It's perfect." Rage says with a grin in Pride's direction. Deceit feels an overwhelming urge to discourage them.

"Or we could continue the way we are? Thomas has to break eventually, right? So we can just keep putting pressure on the light sides, and eventually, he will snap--" He tries to explain, carefully as to not break character.

"Lust, do you want to take control back or not?" Pride demands, cutting him off. Deceit swallows hard, throat as dry as newly sharpened sandpaper.

"Of- of course, I do, but--"

"Then this is what we have to do. I know you love 'playing' with them, but this is for the better of the group. Got it?" Pride demands with a threatening tone. 

"I understand." Deceit lies, reeling back a little. If he goes any further with this path, he will blow his cover.

"We're doing it today, I'm tired of waiting.." Pride demands with a look of determined madness. Deceit can feel himself shaking, barely able to keep the terrified look from reaching his face. 

"Lust, I want you to go watch all of the light sides while I  discuss the details of the execution with Rage." Pride orders him. Deceit rises from his seat, internally grateful for the escape he was just handed.

He tries not to walk out of the room so quickly, fake smile completely dropping off of his face. Deceit half-limps down the stairs, desperately trying to control his breathing.

 _Kill a side?! Has he gone insane!?_ Deceit thinks to himself, leaning against the wall for just a moment. He slides down the wall, feeling the disguise of Lust fade from his body. As soon as the adrenaline leaks from his body, his immense fatigue is back, pulling him down easily. The harsh scars in his back sting with fire as they press against the wall, along with his half-healed ribs that don't appreciate his posture. 

 _What the hell do I do?_ Deceit asks himself, head in his hands as he stares at the ground between his legs. He runs his fingers through his hair roughly, begging for his mind to come up with something.

 _I could sneak the light sides out?_ He thinks.

 ** _Yeah, past Rage and Pride? Funny._** Another thought counters. Strangely, it sounds like Lust.

_I could incapacitate Rage and Pride? They've got plenty of weapons and syringes._

_**Even worse, Love. How on earth are you going to do that in your state?**  _The longer this goes on, the more it starts to sound like Lust.

 _...._ His voice doesn't have a comeback.

 ** _How about you come back down to the cellar and let me have some fun with you, hmm?_**   Deceit's eyes tightly squeeze together as he repeats the phrase ' _You're not real'_ over and over again in a vain attempt to end its voice.

 _No. No, you aren't real. I defeated you, I won._ Deceit tells himself as the voice of Lust cackles at him.

 ** _Oh, really? You did? Look at yourself, Deceit!_** Deceit opens his eyes, seeing his entire body shaking at the sound of his torturer's voice.

 _ **Face it, darling. You lost. I broke you.**  _Deceit feels the words sink in, nearly forcing tears into his eyes. 

A growl rumbles in his throat at the voice as he blinks the tears away.

 _Not yet you haven't._ Deceit thinks to himself bitterly, rising once again from the ground as his knee aches in protest. He needs to get the light sides out of here, for Thomas' sake and his own.

Quietly and carefully Deceit unlocks the door to Logan's cell once more, slipping in with ease.

 

Logan and Patton quickly look up at Deceit as he enters. They are still holding onto each other, looking content and happy for the first time in about a week.

"Deceit, what happened?" Logan asks him immediately. Deceit stiffens at the question, eyes darting over to Patton for a moment. Logan notices, tension seemingly growing in his chest. Deceit stands there silently, clenching his jaw tightly.

"They're going to kill Patton." Deceit finally admits to them both, refusing to meet their eyes. Logan releases Patton, finally rising to his feet.

"Wait--wait what? They're going to kill him?" Logan shouts now. Deceit looks over to Patton, whose eyes are wide with horror, filling with tears that threaten to spill down his face. They all linger in silence once more, Logan's clenched fists finally uncurling. Patton sobs into his knees, body shaking with every single whimper.

"You...you need to stop them..." Logan demands him with a low voice soaked in hopelessness.

  
"I don't know-- I don't know how--" Deceit begins to respond meekly.

" **Figure it out then!!** " Logan screams at him, tears invading his normally emotionless eyes. Deceit freezes in place as Logan drops to Patton's side, hugging him tightly as Patton curls into his chest.

Deceit should just sneak out while the execution is taking place. That would be the easiest option, but how long would his freedom last? The dark sides would kill Patton, gain control of Thomas, and find him once more. It would be for nothing. Patton will die for nothing.

Patton is more important than Deceit, that's undeniable. Without Patton, Thomas would crumble from the inside out, morality being such a big part of who he is. Without Deceit, it would merely hinder his self-preservation traits. In the best case possible the dark sides would be killing Deceit instead. Hell, that'd probably the best thing for Deceit too.

Suddenly, it clicks. Deceit knows what he has to do to save them all. 

He has to replace Patton. He has to disguise himself as Patton to distract them long enough for the light sides to escape. The light sides go back to Thomas, start a revolution, and repress the dark sides once again. The dark sides will be outnumbered since they would've mistakenly killed Deceit...

Deep terror pits in his stomach, sucking the air right out of him like a black hole.

For this to work, Deceit will have to die. He will take Patton's place, sacrificing his existence to let them get out of here. With him gone, the dark sides will inevitably weaken, they wouldn't be able to do anything. This fact looms over him, shaking him right down to his very core. He doesn't want to die, he's not ready.

Deceit squeezes his eyes shut trying to think of another option.

_Cause a commotion, let them escape?_

**_Ha, yeah. You'd be stuck down here with me forever and the light sides would be captured again._ **

_We could sneak out?_

**_How? Besides, what'll you do when they find you all again? It's like you aren't listening, darling._ **

_I could- I could just let it happen! Screw Patton, he sacrificed me! I'll just behave and- and--_ He trails off in his thoughts, Lust's voice laughing at him mockingly.

**And you'd still be tortured, nothing would change. Except this time all the light sides will just be locked up again, you'll be the only one I'll play with. Besides, you really think they're going to give you another chance after what you did to me?**

_I could kill one of them!_

**_Pfft, how? Amuse them to death?_** Deceit's lip quivers, mind struggling heavily with finding another way.

 _I'll--I'll----_ An idea finally uncovers from his broken mind.

 _I'll kill you._ Deceit whispers to the fictional Lust that lives in his head. It doesn't respond right away, seemingly shocked.

 _ **You'll what?**_ It retorts, sounding slightly intimidated.

 _I can take you as a hostage upstairs, demand that Patton is released, and kill you before I escape. They will be weakened, we can revolt, and this living nightmare will finally be over._ Deceit weaves together his plan, feeling the presence of Lust lessen on him. He hears the voice laugh awkwardly, a sense of fear conjoined with the small giggles.

 ** _You're bluffing..._ **Lust seethes at him, doubt creeping into his voice.

 _No, I'm not. You aren't winning this time._ Deceit spits at fake-Lust.

"I'll handle this, okay?" Deceit says finally, Logan looking up again with a tear-stained face as Patton continuously cries into his chest.

"W-wha-w-what about m-me?" Patton stutters terribly, fear wrapping itself around his throat. Deceit hears footsteps approaching from outside the cell. It's Rage, he's coming to get Patton.

"Just- trust me, okay? Nothing is going to happen to you." Deceit promises, hearing Rage a few feet from their door. 

"Trust you-- are you jokin--" Logan begins to yell out before Deceit shushes him, signalling to the door. Deceit shuts his eyes quickly, willing himself to look like Lust once again. Yet again his limited energy is ripped painfully from him, leaving an empty spot behind. He looks at himself wearily, ensuring that the disguise was perfect. He can't screw any of this up. It looks good enough, at least good enough to fool Rage.

The door is pushed open harshly as Deceit places a look of sick amusement onto his face. Rage peeks into the room, spotting Deceit and the other sides.

"Ah, hello Lust." Rage steps in, eyeing the two light sides clinging to each other. Deceit nods in Rage's way in acknowledgement.

"It's time..." Rage says, pulling out a pair of handcuffs from behind his back. Deceit gulps nervously, starting to doubt his plan. He shakes the doubt away and steps aside, allowing Rage to walk to Patton. Patton wails pathetically, gripping onto Logan with all of his energy. 

"I see you've told them of Patton's fate?" Rage asks Deceit, who can barely watch Patton grovelling in despair.

"Couldn't help myself..." Deceit purrs with a sickly smile cast at the light sides. Rage chuckles as he reaches for Patton. Logan jumps in the way, blocking his path to Patton.

"No--No I wo-won't let you-" Logan demands with a quivering voice.

"Want to give me a hand Lust?" Deceit stiffens at the request, eyeing Logan's expression of panic. He has to remind himself to pretend to be Lust, who jumps at every opportunity to play with his prisoners. 

Reluctantly, Deceit walks over to the pair with Rage. He grabs Logan quickly, pulling his arms behind his back as he screams at Deceit to let him go.

 _Why the hell is he making this so goddamn difficult? He knows I can save Patton._ Deceit thinks to himself, struggling to keep Logan in his grasp. Meanwhile, Rage has lifted Patton up and handcuffed him, despite Patton's struggling.

Rage pulls Patton out of the cell and into the hall while Logan shouts his love's name.

" _Damn you Deceit, why didn't you do anything!_ " Logan screams at him, finally pulling away. Deceit lets his disguise falter, desperately trying to conserve his energy.

"I have a plan Logan, to save everyone. Not just your boyfriend." Deceit assures him sourly, watching Logan shake with wrath. Logan approaches him so that their faces almost touch.

"If he--dies-- in there, I will make you pay for it..." Logan threatens him. Deceit watches the logic side with cool eyes, beginning to grow accustomed to threats. What is Logan going to do that Lust hasn't done before? Not much.

Deceit pulls out the keychain and slips one brass key out of the ring. He hands it to Logan.

"Go free the other light sides. Don't get caught by Rage, or this whole thing will fail." Deceit orders him, suddenly very aware that his entire plan is resting on Logan's faith in him. Logan doesn't respond, but Deceit takes his silence as a promise.

Logan brushes past Deceit and out of the cell. 

 

Deceit slips into the hall, trying to remember which room had the weapons and shackles. Lust's chamber did, but it's on the other side of the house. The infirmary does.

Deceit turns right, eyes scanning the hall as he tries to remember where it was. They took him there while he was unconscious, but he remembers leaving. He sees a smaller door on the wall. Deceit inserts a goldish key into the lock and turns it, pushing the door open. 

Artifical white light, the smell of a dentist's office, uncomfortably small. Yeah, this was it. Deceit walks in, trying not to look at the bloodstains on the floor and wall.

 _"I bet- you're en-enjoying this aren't you, you fre-freak."_ Deceit's voice plays from 2 weeks ago. He pictures himself sitting on the table with Lust wrapping bandages around his torso tightly.

" _Why yes, yes I am._ " Lust's own voice replies. He can picture his queasy smile as his yellowish eyes scan Deceit's shaking body in pleasure.

Deceit quickly squeezes his eyes shut, forcing the memory to stop and pushes it out of his mind.

 _Focus, just focus. There isn't enough time._ Deceit reminds himself, spotting handcuffs on the table along with various empty needles, scalpels, knives, and drills. Deceit quickly swipes the handcuffs and grabs the sharpest knife on the table, trying to get out of the room as soon as he can. 

Deceit rushes out of the room, listening to the voice of Lust say " _Good boy..._ " as the memory resumes unwinding.

 

 

Deceit walks out of the infirmary and into the hallway once more. He looks both ways to ensure that Rage isn't there before crossing to the other side.

Strange anxiety starts creeping into his insides as he grows closer to the cellar. He doesn't want to see Lust again, but does he really have a choice? It doesn't take long until the 'what if's' are flooding his thoughts.

_What if he overpowers me?_

_What if this fails and Lust is out again? How is he going to punish me for locking him in the cellar for a couple of days?_

Deceit tries his best to quiet these hypothetical questions, but they seem to bounce back immediately.

Deceit finally turns into the small doorway of the cellar. With shaking hands, Deceit places the handcuffs onto the ground and slips a silver key into the lock, turning it until he hears a click. He has to remind himself to breathe as he turns the handle and cracks it open. A cold breeze immediately releases from the small crack. Deceit kneels down slowly, retrieving the handcuffs from the floor. He honestly can't believe he's walking back into the cellar after everything he did to ensure he never went back. He has a moment of hesitation as the door idles half-open.

 _I have to do this._ Deceit tells himself, swallowing hard. He opens the cellar door wide.

 

It takes Deceit a moment to actually realize where he is going into. He stares into the dark staircase, trying to make out the figure of Lust. He can't see anything and will have to go down to get a better view. He gulps a breath down, taking the first of many shaky steps down the stairs. This is going to take forever at this pace. Patton will already be dead by the time he finally gets to the bottom. Deceit forces his legs to move as quickly as they can, and before he knows it, he's at the bottom of the cellar. It hits him in one wave, sending adrenaline pumping through his veins at the speed of light.

Deceit glances around, begging desperately to find Lust and end this. He just wants this nightmare to be over.

As if on cue, he hears the shaky yet confident laughter of Lust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finale part 1 coming soon!


	33. The Finale: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for the support and warm welcome back! Here is the first part of the finale, the second one will be coming quicker than this one! Christmas break is rolling around the corner, meaning I'll have more time to write.  
> Prepare yourselves, this one is a rollercoaster! <3

"I knew you'd come back to me..." Lust purrs with a chuckle. The sound of his voice makes his stomach turn. Deceit doesn't know where he is, turning in all directions to try to locate his torturer. Lust finally steps into view.

He looks paler than he used to, and his eyes are red and tired. Looks like Deceit isn't the only one who has memories that come alive in here. He wonders for a moment what memories might've been awakened inside of Lust. This train of thought immediately comes to a halt once he realizes who he's talking to. A shiver makes its way down his back as Lust scans his shaking, nervous body. 

Lust begins walking towards him with hungry eyes.

"Oh, how I've missed you..." Deceit jumps backwards, heels reaching the foot of the stairs precariously.

"St-stay away from me." Deceit points the knife at Lust, who stops his slow advances. Deceit cringes at the fear in his voice, feeling himself slip back into the role of a prisoner. He can't let that happen again, he has to show some sort of power over Lust or this will fail.

"Come now,  _darling..._ it's me. _"_ Lust coos at him, voice syrupy and mocking. _Darling_. The word slams into him like a truck, strangely blowing the air out of him. Deceit holds his ground still, knife shaking as he points it at Lust.

"You're coming with me." Deceit demands, pushing away thoughts of fear and self-doubt. Lust chuckles at his false tone of authority.

"What are you going to do, kill me?" Lust mocks him playfully. 

"I--" Deceit begins to say.

"I know that's what you came here to do, don't try to hide it from me." Lust says nonchalantly with a knowing smirk in his direction. Deceit stiffens, the air in his lungs dissipating within seconds.

"I don't--how did you know?" Deceit fails to hide his reaction to this strange situation. Lust chuckles, seeming to look right through him to his vulnerable core.

"You see Deceit, I'm over here, but..." Lust begins, gesturing to Deceit.

 _ **I'm also here, inside of your head.**_ The voice of Lust mocks him, bouncing off the walls of his skull. Deceit visibly stiffens, thinking to himself that this can't be true. Lust can't be able to talk in his head, how the hell would that even happen?! No, no it's ridiculous. It's merely his paranoia, the voice of his inner self-hatred. It's _impossible_.

"I've learned that I can haunt my conditioned pets. Interesting, isn't it?" Lust says to him, his laugh scrambling manically inside of Deceit's head. Deceit calms himself with a few breaths, staring ahead at Lust. So what if he's in his head? Deceit still has control over the situation.

Deceit takes a few steps forward, knife still pointed at Lust threateningly. Lust doesn't cower back but merely stands still with a look of amusement.

"That doesn't change anything. You're still coming up with me." Deceit says, voice free from shaking.

 _ **It does change something, my dear.**_ Deceit ignores this completely, face not even shifting as the words are spoken.

"Oh no, Deceit. You're aren't taking me anywhere, you aren't going to kill me. Wanna know why?" Lust asks, leaning forward like he has a secret.

"Yeah, why's that?" Deceit spits back at him.

"Because I've conditioned you." Lust finishes, eyes aflame with pleasure and excitement. Deceit can't help but laugh at that. He had pushed Lust down into the cellar and locked him there in an act of defiance. How on earth is he _conditioned_? 

"Oh, that's funny to you?" Lust mocks him with a grin. Deceit stares back, an unamused grin twitching at his lips.

"You arrogant little  _fool_. I locked you down here. I defied you. I am not conditioned to you or your little games." Deceit hisses at Lust, voice dripping with sweet wrath and hatred. Now it's Lust's turn to cackle at him. 

"Now  _that's_ funny. You don't even know you're broken, you poor poor thing." Lust continues to giggle. Suddenly, the smile drops from his face and he goes silent, staring dead ahead at Deceit.

"You want to see something funnier?" He asks, eyes flashing with crazed emotion as his mouth remains one straight, steady line. It's unnerving to see Lust not smiling and cackling like he usually is. Deceit shuffles awkwardly, extremely aware of Lust's every single twitch.

" _Drop the knife._ " Lust commands him, the corner of his mouth twitching wildly into a half-smile.

 _Pfft, he's kidding, right? Drop my only defence against him?_ Deceit thinks to himself, looking at Lust like he had gone totally insane. He's delusional, completely unaware of the fact that Deceit had beat him.

Suddenly, Deceit hears the sound of metal clanging against the floor before coming to a silent stop. Deceit's heart leaps into his throat, but he remains frozen still. He grasps his right hand slightly, trying to feel for the knife. Nothing is there, his weapon is gone.

Deceit gulps down, feeling himself shake as his gaze lowers onto the floor.

There it is, his knife. It's on the floor directly below his right hand. He dropped it. He had let the knife go, giving in to Lust's command without knowing it.

 _What...?_ Deceit stares at it for at least 10 seconds, listening to the low, victorious giggles of Lust. He can't figure out what had happened. Had Lust tricked him?

 _What the hell?_   He had gotten out of this, he had won. He beat Lust, so why, **WHY?!** **Why did he just obey that?!** A heavy feeling of complete dread hangs above his head as his chest tightens with sadness and confusion. He can feel the future of Thomas slipping away from him, inch by inch until it's completely ripped out of his hands.

Deceit's jaw clenches in fear as the laughter of Lust grows louder and louder until it completely swallows him.

"What-- What have you do-done?" Deceit forces authority into his voice, finally looking at Lust again with tears of frustration in his eyes.

"I'm in your head now, darling. I brought out the parts of you that I conditioned, the parts I **made**." Lust circles him playfully, almost skipping happily. It doesn't make sense, how could he possibly have pulled this off? It's impossible.

"That does-doesn't change anyt-thing." Deceit stutters out, still grasping onto control. Lust chuckles behind him, walking up beside him so that Deceit can feel his breath against his neck.

"Oh, doesn't it? Try to step away from me, try to pick up that knife and attack me. Try to sprint up those stairs, _I dare you..._ "Lust whispers closely into Deceit's ear, sending a train of shivers trailing through his veins. Deceit freezes still, glancing down at the knife.

 _Pick it up, just pick it up and defend yourself. Come on, please, please..._ Deceit pleads to himself, staring down at his abandoned weapon with desperation lingering in his breath. He can't bring himself to pick it up, he can't move a muscle. He's at war with his own body, begging and screaming at himself to move, but it refuses to. He's trapped in himself like a prisoner in his own goddamn head.

Deceit's hands clench into shaking balls at his sides as Lust circles around to face him. Deceit doesn't meet his eyes, still staring at the knife on the floor as if to move it telepathically.

"Look at me." Lust demands suddenly, smiling inches away from Deceit's confused and fearful face. Without hesitation, Deceit's eyes flick up to Lust's without his permission. He tries to force them away, but his eyes remain stubbornly set on Lust. Lust kicks the knife away, sending it skidding along the concrete floor along with Deceit's freedom.

"I want you to get on your knees before me." Lust orders, a sick shudder of pleasure in his voice. He wants to close his eyes, not wanting to witness this blatant act of submission, but he can't. Lust gave him an order, he has to follow it, no matter how hard he tries to will himself not to. Deceit feels himself slowly get down onto his knees, sucking air through his teeth quietly when his half-healed knee reaches the unforgiving ground. 

He feels tears fill his eyes quickly, the familiar feeling of lukewarm shame and guilt coming down on him once more. He grinds his teeth together, feeling Lust's fingers comb through his hair playfully. Deceit squeezes his eyes shut, hot tears now spilling from his face, which is red with embarrassment and hatred.

"How I've missed you, my dear pet." Lust whispers to him, gently wiping a tear from Deceit's cheek. 

How was it so easy to stop Deceit? How the hell was it so simple for Lust to drag him back into a state of complete hopelessness? The thought of a part like that still existing in Deceit is almost too much to bear but is most certainly true. He should've never come down here, he should've known that once he saw Lust everything would change. How could he be so  _ignorant_ , thinking he was healed from his many wounds, both mental and physical. This is on him now, there is no one else to blame.

"Now Deceit, we have an execution to attend." Lust declares madly, facing the stairs with a sneer.

The realization hits Deceit hard; He had not only failed himself but Patton too.

Deceit opens his mouth to say something,  _anything_ that might help, but Lust quickly puts a finger over his lips.

"You only speak when spoken to now." Lust orders him with a smirk, knowing full well that Deceit can no longer disobey him. Deceit feels his mouth clamp together into a thin line of anger and fear.

"Now let's go, don't want to miss all the fun, now do we?" Lust gestures to the stairs, motioning to Deceit that he has to start walking.

Deceit watches helplessly as his own body responds, carrying him up the steps with Lust close behind. Now he has become exactly what Lust had wanted him to be; A toy for his own amusement that never disobeys a word he says.

 

As soon as Deceit steps back into the hall he hears the immediate wailing of Patton. Lust begins down the hallway, and he automatically follows his captor without hesitation. The crying grows louder, every step bringing Deceit closer and closer to the end of Thomas and the light sides.

 _Please do something..._ He heart-wrenchingly begs himself, his throat tightening with desperation. 

They slowly ascend the staircase that enters into the main living room.

 _Please...._ One final plead goes unheard in his own mind, body refusing to respond to the many signals he tries to send. Deceit grows more distant like he's watching from inside a fishbowl, stuck inside himself with no hope of getting out.

The two sides climb the last step and walk into the living room.

 

Logan's POV

 

Logan can hear Patton wailing and screaming from all the way upstairs. He feels his hands curl into tight fists at his sides, wanting so badly to go save Patton. Logan has to force himself to trust that Deceit will be able to save him. He doesn't really have a choice, does he? He couldn't fight them all off, not alone. 

Logan forces himself to move, walking down the long corridor of cells.

"Roman? Virgil?" He shouts out to the darkness, unsure of which cage they are in. He continues walking a slow pace, searching the doors for any clues like bloodstains or fingerprints.

"It's me, Logan." He announces, wanting to clarify that he wasn't one of the dark sides. Logan hears a faint groaning to his left. Logan immediately grips the handle, listening once more for a voice or sound.

"Roman, is that you?" Logan calls out. 

"Lo-Logan?" Roman's voice responds, shakey and choked with pain. Logan's fingers fumble with the key for a moment, desperately shoving the key into the lock and turning it quickly.

"Roman, I'm coming jus-just hold on," Logan assures him, feeling the click in the door and pushing it open.

 

Roman is on the floor, head lifted up to look at Logan. His back is laced with unhealed scars from what looks like intensive whipping. His eyes are distant, heavy bags weighing down on his face. His skin is ghastly pale, drenched in a feverish sweat. 

"Roman, are you--can you stand?" Logan asks, skipping the question 'are you okay?'. Of course he's not okay, why the hell would he be? Roman nods his head slowly, clearly embarrassed by his appearance.

Roman pushes himself up onto all four, grunting as he tries to keep the screaming within his chest. Logan offers a hand and helps him up. Roman stumbles slightly to the side and nearly falls before Logan catches him.

"Logan he-he hurt--me-" Roman sobs, voice cracking as the emotions trapped within him finally break loose. Logan wraps an arm around him, sheltering him as Roman breaks into crying.

"I know, I know, he hurt all of us. You aren't al-alone." Logan comforts him, struggling to not burst into tears himself. He has been so invested in the safety of others that he hasn't even considered his own mental health. Lust had beat him mercilessly for  _days_ on end.

Logan shakes the memories out of his head, not wanting to focus on his own torture.

"Come on Roman, we are getting Virgil and Patton and we are leaving." Logan assures him, helping him walk towards the door. 

They both leave the cell to find Virgil.

 

Deceit's POV

 

"Hello all, did you miss me?" Lust announces to the room.

Rage, Pride, and Patton are all here. Patton is on his knees in front of Pride. Rage is off to the side with a wicked grin of anticipation. Deceit feels all of their eyes finally settle onto him.

"Lust, we agreed Deceit would spend a month in the cellar, why is he here?" Pride rolls his eyes, looking Deceit up and down with a gaze of hatred and disgust.

"You're going to love this. Deceit has been disguising as me this entire time while I've been locked inside the cellar!" Lust exclaims, bursting into laughter as he tightly wraps an arm around Deceit, who remains frozen in place.

Rage and Pride exchange looks of confusion before looking to Lust for clarity.

"My dear pet over here shoved me down the stairs and locked me in there... Luckily, I have discovered a new trick to keep him in line." Lust gives him a side-glance, smiling madly. Something has changed in him. He is darker, more sinister, and forward with his sadistic wants. Deceit keeps his eyes trained onto the ground, hearing the faint sobbing of Patton.

"Yeah? What's that?" Pride asks Lust, clearly not convinced.

"I've enabled the parts of his mind that are completely shattered and obedient, he can no longer disobey any word I say." Deceit can feel them all looking at him like some specimen, some lab rat that was successfully dissected.

"So you really are just a pet, aren't you?" Rage stands in front of him, wrath dancing in his pupils as he stares down at Deceit. Suddenly, Rage slams Deceit back into the wall. He grunts in protest as his spine collides with the wall, holding his breath as their faces nearly touch. The deep, not-yet-healed cuts on his back sting terribly and tear open the half-scabbed skin.

"I'll make you pay for that, you little snake..." Rage grins, bearing his teeth madly at his condemned prisoner. Deceit slams his hands against Rage, trying to push him back as one last attempt at freedom.

"Ah, still got some fight, dont'cha? Your pet isn't as obedient as you claim, Lust." Rage chuckles madly, keeping Deceit pinned against the wall without much effort.

"I can fix that for you. Deceit, stop fighting back." Lust demands loudly, slamming his foot down threateningly. Deceit feels his arms drop to his side unwillingly. He can feel tears of frustration fill his eyes once again, trying to blink them away before Rage sees. He really can't fight back, can he?

"Very impressive..." Rage observes his now-submissive stance with intrigue. He lets him drop to the ground, laughing at the pathetic excuse of who used to be so clever and powerful. Deceit curls into himself, head in his crossed arms as he cries silently to himself. He can hear Patton sobbing dryly, seemingly unable to physically cry any more than he already has.

"So, is it finally time to get Thomas here?" Rage asks Pride, who is glowing with pleasure and confidence in his plan.

"Lust, send Thomas a message. Get him here, now." Pride orders to Lust, who twitches insanely with sick anticipation.

 

Logan's POV

Roman leans against the wall as Logan eyes a door with a bloodied handle. Virgil has to be in here.

"Wait out here, okay?" Logan demands to Roman, who nods softly in response. Logan unlocks the door and moves into the bright fluorescent light of Virgil's room.

"Virgil?" Logan calls out, scanning the room for the anxious side. He sees the figure of Virgil curled up into the very corner of the room. As Logan approaches, he can hear Virgil mumbling to himself crazily.

"Hey Virgil, it's Logan." He says to the shaking side. Virgil has his arms wrapped around himself by a straightjacket. He doesn't respond, continuing to whisper to himself.

"No-no no, you aren't real, you aren't in my head." Virgil says quietly, eyes wide open as he stares at the wall.

"Virgil, can you hear me?" Logan says louder, trying to get his attention.

"Shhh-sh- stop--" Virgil begins rocking back and forth, fighting voices and illusions that aren't really there. Logan grabs him by the shoulder, causing Virgil to whip his head around very quickly.

"Who-? Logan?" Virgil demands, voice strained and dry.

"Yes, yes it's me, Logan. Virgil, I am going to help you, okay?" Virgil jerks away from his touch, pupils dilated heavily.

"No! You- you aren't real!" Virgil screams at him, the black eyeshadow he wears now smudged all across his face. Logan tries to approach again, desperate to get to Virgil.

"I'm here, it's real Virgil. I'm here to get you out, okay?" Virgil stares at Logan in silence, broken mind desperately trying to put the pieces of reality back together.

"Loga-Logan is that-- really you?" Virgil asks him, leaning forward. Logan nods his head, trying to hold back his own tears as he stares at the shell of a side he used to know.

"Yes, yes it is, Virgil. Now, let me help you out of that, okay?" Logan kneels down, taking out the keychain and takes the smallest key. He inserts it into the lock on the jacket and turns it, freeing Virgil's arms. Virgil's arms shake with agony, having been crossed like that for over a week now.

Logan helps Virgil slip out of the restraining jacket. Unlike Roman, who immediately started wailing once he was released, Virgil stays completely silent. Different coping styles. Roman blurts it all out looking for affirmation, and Virgil locks it inside in hopes it will just disappear. Logan doesn't have the time to deal with this right now, he needs to save Patton.

He helps Virgil limp out of the cell, both of them silent and focused on one thing; Getting out.

Virgil immediately leans against the wall when they step out, needing to give his shin a break.

"What- do we do now?" Roman asks Logan. Logan's eyebrows furrow as he tries to think of something. He had been so focused on trying to save the light sides that his plan hadn't gotten this far yet.

 _If_ Deceit has failed then Patton will soon be facing his execution, meaning Logan needs to arm himself to protect Patton. He can't take the chance on Deceit and just hope that everything goes right. He glances around, trying to determine which room might have a gun or something ranged so he doesn't have to get too close. The cells won't have them since the only tools he has ever seen in them are used for pain, not for killing. Maybe one of the dark sides keeps a gun?

"You two stay here, alright? I need to find some sort of weapon, okay?" Logan half-orders them, trying to look confident. Virgil and Roman seem relieved that they can rest for a while, and slide down the wall to sit on the floor. 

Logan hurries off in search of a gun.

 

Thomas' POV

He feels it suddenly, a call from the dark sides. An urge in his chest tells him that they want to meet. Thomas considers ignoring it but decides to go. He can't keep living like this, miserable in his house as he worries constantly about the light sides. This has to end one way or another.

Thomas accepts their offer and immediately feels his mind wander into the mind palace.

 

Deceit's POV

 

Deceit can't help but hope that Thomas doesn't come. If he doesn't, the dark sides most likely will postpone the execution, giving Deceit more time to undo this  _spell_ that Lust has controlled him with. There's no way that Thomas would be stupid enough to accept, right? Thomas must feel things changing as the dark sides slowly gain power over the light sides. He has to know that this is a trap.

Deceit flinches as he sees a figure suddenly appear. Thomas stares back at him, eyes dark and cautious.

"Ah, Thomas. Welcome, it's wonderful for you to join us here." Pride welcomes him. Thomas sees Patton kneeling on the ground, his back to Pride.

"Patton, are you okay?" Thomas asks him, forcing his voice to remain calm and steady as to not upset Patton. Deceit sees his eyes watering at the sight of Patton. Patton shakes his head wordlessly, unable to speak since Pride gagged him.

"And Deceit, you're working for them?" Thomas spits at Deceit, who shrinks down at his words.

"I--" Deceit begins to object, but Lust cuts him off.

"Why yes, he has. Isn't that right, darling?" Lust grins evilly at his conditioned prisoner, knowing full well that Deceit has to obey his words and go along with whatever twisted game he wants.

 _Say no, say they're controlling you by force. Tell Thomas that you tried to help, tell him that you fought against_ _them_. Deceit urges himself, biting the inside of his cheek as he feels the words Lust wanted him to say coming out.

"Ye-yes that-that's right--" Deceit stutters terribly as he tries to keep the words inside. Thomas' eyes darken with bitter pity and disdain for Deceit.

"Why did you call me here?" Thomas demands to Pride, who slowly reaches behind his back.

"This is why, Thomas. You didn't listen to our warnings, you refused to let us in. You leave me no choice." Pride pulls out a golden handgun encrusted with many jewels and aims it at the back of Patton's head. Thomas jumps out of his skin at the sight, his false act of toughness completely melting away to reveal a weak and fragile man beneath.

"No--No! Wha-what are you doing?!" Thomas screams, taking a couple of steps towards them but stops when he sees Pride place his finger on the trigger. Patton's wails are muted by the cloth, but still audible.

Deceit watches the scene unfold, wanting to scream out, wanting to rebel. His limbs stay locked to his side, standing beside Lust, who drapes an arm around him. Deceit is drowning in a pit of his own helplessness, which fills his entire being like thick oil sludge. He's useless, utterly useless. He could have prevented this. He could have saved himself. But Deceit didn't. He failed. Now he stands motionless by his captor, thoughts of self-hatred and dread filling his head like flies. He finds himself wishing that he was in Patton's place. Wishing that he wouldn't be alive for Lust to torture him any further. Lust won't let him escape, not even through death. He will make Deceit pay for his betrayal every single day, through humiliation and pain. Deceit doesn't want to see himself become vacant and broken, used only for pleasure by Lust.

Deceit does not want to exist in a world ruled by Lust anymore.

"I warned you, Thomas. This is your fault now, not ours!" Pride shouts to him, finger tightening on the trigger as Patton screams and grovels as his death draws closer.

"I'll--I'll listen! I wil-will let you in! Don't do this, don't kil-kill him! Plea-please!!!" Thomas begs him, tears streaming down his face as he screams desperately at Pride.

"You're too late now! Do it Pride!" Rage encourages him with a malicious sneer.

" **NO! Please don't!! Please!!** " Thomas howls at the top of his lungs, lunging towards all of them. Rage grabs Thomas, holding him back from saving Patton.

Deceit shuts his eyes tight, not wanting to see the result of his own failure. 

 

The sound of a gunshot fills Deceit's ears deafeningly.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this chapter! Let me know what you think!  
> Updating asap <3  
> -Starry


	34. The Finale: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays everyone! This is the FINALE of this fic! Hope you enjoy~~
> 
> I talk more about a sequel at the end notes :)

Deceit's POV

Deceit doesn't want to open his eyes. He doesn't want to witness the consequences of his own failure. He can only imagine what it looks like; brains splattered everywhere, Patton's lifeless body lying in a pool of blood. No, he doesn't want to see that. 

He can already feel infinite shackles clamping around his wrists, ones that he will never have removed. He's falling slowly into the pit of hell as fear grips his insides tightly. Deceit can't feel anything now, he's completely numb. He finds himself hoping that this feeling will last, thinking that feeling numb is better than feeling pain.

Deceit knows that pain is going to follow. The dark sides will have control over Thomas now, and what they will do to him will surely be worse than it ever has been. How it could possibly be worse is beyond him, but Lust will find a way. Lust _always_ finds a way to make his life absolutely unendurable.

And the worst part is that Deceit knows they won't kill him. The dark sides have tipped the scales by killing a light side, meaning there is more room in Thomas for darkness. If they killed a fellow dark side, they'd be equal with the light sides again.

It's funny, thinking back to how this all started. If Deceit hadn't been so arrogant, this wouldn't be happening. They found him once he had revealed himself to Thomas. God, what a mistake that was. If he could go back, he would change everything. He wouldn't have pushed their limits, he wouldn't have even spoken to anyone else. Why did it never cross his mind that they would come for him again?

Because he had repressed all of those thoughts. Once Deceit had seen Rage, it all came back in waves. How he managed to forget decades of trauma is something he'll never know or understand.

Deceit's swirling thoughts fill his head with noise, drowning him in self-loathing. He could have prevented this, he knows he could've.

_**Open your eyes, darling. I want you to see what happens when you fight back.**_ Lust's voice orders him. Deceit tries harder, squeezing his eyes tightly as he can feel the urge to obey swelling in his chest. He inhales sharply, preparing himself for the worst. 

Deceit's eyes finally open once more, but what he finds is Patton, alive and well. Maybe not well, but alive certainly. The tears on his face continue to drip onto the ground as he stares wide-eyed at the ground, confused by what was going on. He looks entranced as if he believed he was dying. Deceit scans his body, looking for a wound, but doesn't find one.

Suddenly, Deceit hears a pained gurgle from someone. He looks up to Pride, who is holding the gun limply in his hand. His eyes are wide with shock, mouth agape as a strange groaning comes from him. Deceit watches him drop the gun, hands moving to his lower abdomen shakily.

"Pride are---" Rage begins to ask, but stops mid-sentence when Pride removes his hands, revealing blood soaking through his kingly suit.

" **Pride!** " Rage shouts as Pride drops onto his knees with a muffled moan.

_'What the hell is happening?'_ Deceit asks himself, watching Lust's face crinkle into an expression of terror and confusion.

" _Don't move!_ " A voice demands, forced authority lingering in his clear tone. They all turn and see Logan standing in the doorway with a smoking pistol pointed at Rage. 

"What have you done, you  **idiot!?** " Rage screams at Logan, disregarding his warning as he kneels down before Pride.

"Ra--Rage---" Pride croaks, gripping at the dark side's collar and pulling him closer. 

Lust is stricken into total silence as he stares at Pride on the ground. Pride is trying to speak, but can't seem to say the words as he chokes on his own blood.

"You're going-going to be fine, ok-okay?" Rage demands, clearly lying to Pride as he presses on the bullet wound to stop the bleeding. 

Pride's eyes are wide, staring at Rage in shock and horror. He continues to spit up blood as it fills his mouth completely. Deceit looks to Logan, who has gone pale with terror and disbelief.

Suddenly, Pride's eyelids twitch and droop slightly, the choking sounds finally stopping. Blood continues to spill down his rosy lips, dripping onto his clothing.

 

He's dead.

 

"You--what have you done?" Lust demands of Logan, who can barely process it himself. 

" **I will kill you!!** " Rage screams, grabbing Pride's gun from the floor and darting towards Logan with it raised.

Rage's chance of revenge is ripped cleanly away from him as he doubles over and drops to the ground, screaming in agony. Something is wrong, something has changed. Rage pounds his fists on the ground, his scream unending.

"Rage, are you alright?!" Lust runs over to Rage, hands on his back in an effort to stop the pain. Deceit watches in utter bewilderment as Lust jerks away suddenly. 

" ** _Rage-- Rage what is this--?! RaGEEEEEEE_** **!!!** " Lust's words meld into the shrieking of a tortured man. He immediately curls into himself, gripping his chest tightly as tears begin to form in his wide, pained eyes.

" **Deceit--** " Lust shouts his name, clawing towards him on all four. Deceit immediately kicks away from the haunting image, backing himself against a wall. Lust stops his advance, fully immersed in his own agony.

Deceit doesn't know what's happening. He simply stares at the two, unable to move or say anything. A small part of him is satisfied by their pain, thinking they deserved it after all they had done to Deceit.

Abruptly, a terrible panging begins to radiate in his chest. Deceit sucks in a breath, completely taken aback by the sudden pain. The agony doubles, almost feeling like it's burning him from the inside out. 

Before he knows it, Deceit is screaming aswell, doubled over as he clutches his torso. Suddenly his yelling stops, going completely silent as the torment only grows worse and worse. It's so unbelievably terrible that Deceit can't even scream anymore. It feels like his ribs are being snapped in half over and over again before finally being torn right out of his tortured chest. It feels like Rage whipping at his insides using a hot metal wire. 

Tears are falling from his face as the world goes blurry around him. Deceit can hear Patton crying loudly, moaning Logan's name repeatedly followed by the sound of unlocking chains.

Deceit grips at the floor, trying his best to stop the agony. It is worse than anything Lust has ever done to him. The worst part is that he can't even think of what could be causing this. His mind is jumbled with static and incoherent sentences that only grow louder as this goes on.

The suffering finally ends, leaving Deceit a winded mess on the floor. He lays on his side, gulping down air as his limbs shake terribly in pace with his heartbeat. Lust and Rage are the same, even crying due to the pain. 

 

Logan's POV

He can't believe he had actually pulled the trigger. Logan had just  _killed_ a side, a Dark Side yes, but a side nonetheless. Logan searched everywhere for a gun and finally found one in Rage's closet. He immediately came for Patton. He hadn't intended to use it, but he had no choice. Patton would've died if he didn't shoot Pride. 

Now Pride is dead and the other dark sides are completely torn apart, both physically and mentally it would seem. He had always wondered what happened if a side died. It looks like the death of Pride has not only put the other dark sides in terrible pain, but also seems to weaken them. Logan feels their presence, but it's not powerful and threatening anymore. It's weak, flaring slightly before flickering out. A dark side has been removed, and now the light sides outnumber them. 

This nightmare is finally over,  ~~right?~~

Logan has unlocked Patton, and is now holding him in his arms. Patton continues to cry, voice cracking from the hoarseness of his throat.

"Shh- shh it's okay-" Logan comforts Patton, who refuses to let him go. Thomas approaches the two Light Sides, tears of gratitude filling his eyes. Patton grabs onto Thomas and pulls him into a tight hug, crying into his shoulder.

 

Deceit's POV

Deceit watches the three hugging each other tightly. Deceit looks back down at the floor, feeling utterly useless. He feels...different now. Like he's weaker? When Pride died, their power must have weakened greatly, causing that terrible seizure-like moment. Now, he's even weaker than he was before.

He hears a deep growling and looks over to Rage, who is struggling to get to his knees. His eyes burn with determination and revenge, but his body doesn't seem to carry the same intention. He can barely move, mouth clenched into a tight line as he tries his best. Rage reaches for the gun a few feet away from him, but Logan kicks it away quickly before Rage can get close enough. A hiss of frustration sounds from Rage, who glares at Logan with tears in his eyes.

"Prou-proud of your-self? You're a  **murderer**." Rage spits at him with a mad grin. Logan flinches at these words, refusing to look at Pride's corpse.

They all hear footsteps and turn to see Virgil and Roman walking into the room. Roman is basically carrying Virgil, who couldn't walk due to the shin most likely. Virgil's eyes meet Deceit's.

"Co- coward--" Virgil seethes at Deceit, who shudders at the words. Lust cackles weakly, casting Deceit an amused grin.

"Virgil- Deceit is the one that freed us." Logan steps in, noticing how miserable Deceit looks. Virgil looks back at the dark side, but doesn't say anything. Deceit is grateful for Logan's attempt, but it won't help anything.

"Clever-- bastard. You freed them-before you cam-came for me." Lust snickers at Deceit, voice creaking manically. Rage is still trying to get up, but it's no use. In this condition, none of the dark sides can walk or fight.

Thomas and his light sides all hug each other, all crying in relief. Deceit wonders what that must feel like... relief. He's never felt that in his goddamn life, and he never will. If he's being honest, he's not going to be free. Yes, he might not be a prisoner of the dark sides, but he will be underneath the light sides for the remainder of his bleak existence. That is if he gets out of here. He can't seem to believe that Pride is dead. It's not over, right? It can't be over just like that.

While the light sides all have their little moment, Rage and Lust begin to discuss among themselves.

"This-isn't over-" Rage hisses to Lust, who scoffs in response.

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do, hmm? Beg for control?" Lust insults him, insanity tweaking his voice.

"There's another way--there has to be-" Rage growls, not able to let it go.

"Pride is dead, you moron. There's nothing else-they outnumber us now--" Lust responds with a strange laugh of pity for himself.

"What about Decei-Deceit? We can use him to--" Rage keeps trying to plan something, grasping at straws now.

"Deceit is just as useless as us, alright? We can not even stand up, how do you expect to fight back?" Lust shuts him down again.

" **I DON'T KNOW!! JUST THINK OF SOMETHING!** " Rage screams loudly before breaking into coarse sobbing and whines. The light sides are now watching them, no pity found in their gazes. Lust's eyes seem to lighten as he gets an idea.

"What do you think, Deceit?" Lust asks his prisoner, who flinches at the question. Deceit refuses to answer, just keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. 

"Hey, answer me!" Lust shouts at him. Deceit simply exhales deeply, trying to keep the tears from coming. He can't do this anymore.

"Did you say something, darling? Say it a little louder so I can beat you for it later." Lust mocks him with a sneer. 

Why? Why is Lust still trying to force Deceit down into the role of a prisoner? Is he still trying to hold onto some sort of power? It doesn't make sense, and frankly, Deceit is sick and tired of it. He's got no power over Deceit anymore, he can feel it. The voice inside his head is gone. Lust does not have enough control anymore in order to do his sick little tricks.

"Oi, listen to your master, puppet!" Lust degrades him further, making a scene in front of everyone. Deceit clenches his jaw tightly, blazing eyes finally meeting Lust.

"I'm going to break you bone by bone..." Lust threatens him, feeding off of his submissive behaviour. He moves closer to Deceit, whispering into his ear now. Why isn't anyone stepping in? Why are the light sides just watching this clear abuse without doing a goddamn thing?

"Then, I'm going to watch your quivering body in delight as you try to escape me to no avail..." He continues on, painting a horrid image in Deceit's head.

"And then I'll pin you down and lick the blood off of you, watching you squirm in helpless humiliation underneath me..." Deceit swallows hard, trying to shake the scene out of his head. He's so close to snapping, so close to just choking the life out of Lust.

"Wouldn't that be just  _perfect_ , darling?" Lust coos in his ear, sending goosebumps across Deceit's entire body. Suddenly, Deceit understands what Lust is trying to do. He's trying to gain more power and control in a last attempt at controlling Thomas. But he's ignored one fatal problem; Deceit is incredibly weak at this point in Thomas's mind. Months of straight torture and humiliation will do that to you. Even if Lust succeeded in controlling Deceit again, it won't get him anywhere. The light sides are still too strong, even in their traumatized and injured state.

Lust exhales out of frustration against Deceit's neck, obviously angered that Deceit hasn't broken down yet underneath his control. He has to go further, push Deceit's limits even further. 

Without warning, Lust does something that Deceit didn't see coming. Lust grabs him by the head and pulls him closer, licking across his cheek with the intention of humiliating him into submission.

"Hmm, you taste good..." Lust purrs maniacally, watching in amusement as Deceit freezes in place.

"Okay, that's enough---" Thomas begins to step in, but it's too late. That was the final straw for Deceit.

Deceit lunges for Lust, crawling on top of him and pinning him down. Lust is too surprised at first to fight back, giving Deceit a perfect window for revenge. 

Deceit screams in defiance as he rams his fist into Lust's face over and over again. To his surprise, Lust laughs the whole time, his giggles being cutoff by repeated strikes.

" **Shut up!!** " Deceit screams, basically feeling his psyche completely snap. His vision tunnels on Lust's face as he continues to beat him. The laughing coming from Lust only makes it worse.

" **JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!!!** " Deceit shrieks, tears streaming down his face now. He doesn't care how much it hurts to move, especially after the death of Pride basically ripped away a chunk of his being. But he just doesn't care, he just wants Lust to stop humiliating him. 

"That's enough, Deceit!" Thomas yells, but Deceit can't hear him over the cackling of Lust.

" **I HATE YOU!** " Deceit screeches, voice creaking with despair. It takes both Thomas and Logan to pull Deceit off of Lust, whose laughter is unending. Deceit kicks himself into a corner, clutching his chest as it pangs with torment.

Lust's face is bleeding terribly, nose twisted out of place and lip split pretty severely. Lust is snickering and giggling, coughing as blood drips down his throat.

"Sorry--boss, I tri-tried my best-" Lust says to Rage, who watched the whole thing in silence. 

Deceit cries into his own arms, trying to hide from everyone. His knuckles are sore and covered in Lust's blood.

 

"What are we going to do with them?" Thomas asks Logan.

"Thomas, if you want things to go back to normal, you need to forget about all of this." Logan responds, watching Rage carefully.

"How do I do that, Logan? It's not that simple." Logan ponders for a moment, trying to figure out a clean solution to their dark side problem. He needs them all to forget about all of this if Thomas ever wants to function again. The PTSD that they will all suffer will be victory enough for Lust and Rage. There has to be a place in the mind palace where Thomas represses all of his darkest memories.

"We need to put them into a spot where it will allow you to repress your memories of all of this. That's the only way we all get out of here with our sanity." Logan announces to the group, hoping that someone will know the answer.

' _Repress..._ ' Deceit thinks to himself, trying to remember somewhere that could do that. A place that he locked all of his trauma away. A place where they could lock the dark sides away.

It finally clicks. Deceit can't believe that it took so long to figure it out.

The cellar. He was able to repress all of his childhood trauma because he left it in the cellar. Once he went back down there it all came back. That's where the dark sides must be kept.

"The cellar..." Deceit says aloud, meeting Logan's eyes. He sees Lust and Rage flinch. They must've known that the cellar was capable of such an extraordinary thing.

"I--I repressed everything down there, I left it all down there. If-- if you want to forget, you- you need to put them in the cellar." Deceit stutters, speaking suddenly becoming so hard with all of their eyes on him.

" _Them?_   What-what makes you think you're not going down there too? You're one of them..." Virgil accuses Deceit. Deceit feels his heart flutter desperately, his grown fear of the cellar rising immediately.

"I-" Deceit can't even figure out how to defend himself. Virgil is right. Whether or not he likes it, Deceit is a dark side. He is one of them, he helped Lust break Virgil's shin.

"No, Virgil. Deceit isn't with them." Thomas defends Deceit, causing a lightness to rise in Deceit's chest. Thomas actually _believes_ him.

"He he-helped Lust! You should've see-seen what they did to me-!" Virgil insists, pointing at Deceit. Deceit shrinks down, guilt rising in him. He didn't have a choice, why can't Virgil see that?

"If you had been tortured for so long, you would've obeyed too." Logan jumps in, a pitying glance in Deceit's direction. Virgil bites down on his retorts, clearly wanting Deceit gone aswell.

"Deceit, where's the cellar?" Thomas asks the injured side after a moment of silence.

"Now-let's- let's just talk about this--" Lust tries to interject, wiping blood off of his chin.

"Thomas-- you are a kind-hearted person, right? Y-you wouldn't subject me an-and Rage to that hell, would yo-you?" Lust pushes further, coating his voice in false innocence and desperation. 

"It's over Lust. Stop trying." Logan pushes back.

"Pat-Patton, you can't let them do this--!" Lust says to Patton, trying to tug at Thomas's heartstrings. To Deceit's surprise, Patton's expression of emptiness doesn't change into one of empathy.

"Roman--surely- you don't want to lose your motivation-right? I am your- motivation!" Lust tries Roman, who just looks down at him with a look of total disgust.  Sensing no leverage, Lust moves onto the next one.

"L-Logan, you know that this is going to erase your memory of the last month--right? You will forget all-all about your love for Patton... You do-don't want that--" Logan flinches, looking back at Patton worryingly. He seems suddenly conflicted with their choice, but bites down on his own wants.

"You're lying." Logan states. Deceit knows for a fact that Lust is telling the truth, and so does Logan. He's trying to keep Patton on board obviously, and it convinces all of them. With a huff of frustration, Lust continues on.

"Virgil--"

"Put him-him in the cellar." Virgil demands, not willing to even listen to Lust anymore. Lust sits there, mouth agape but no words coming out. He doesn't have any other leverage.

 

Roman and Logan both reach for Rage, who screams and kicks as they lift him up. Despite both being gravely wounded, they are still stronger than any dark side now. Thomas and Patton go for Lust, who puts up less of a fight, but still screams out offers for his freedom.

Deceit leads them to the cellar, running a hand along the wall and down the stairs. He needs closure, so he needs to see this end for good.

Soon enough, Lust's incoherent sentences transform into the cackling of a condemned man. It's over and he knows it. Rage is still putting up a fight, kicking and struggling to no avail.

They get to the cellar and Logan unlocks the door, pulling the door open while holding Rage with the other hand.

" **NO! LET ME GO!** " Rage screams as Roman and Logan hold him into the stairwell of the cellar.

" **PRIDE!!!** " Rage shouts out to his dead friend as they shove him down the flight of stairs remorselessly. Deceit keeps a fair distance from the entrance, not wanting to relive any more torment than he already has. He hears Rage hit the bottom, followed by silence. If he's lucky, the fall killed him.

Logan then grabs Lust, holding him out as well.

"Wait--wait just-let me say-- say goodbye-" Lust begs them, his heels teetering on the edge precariously. 

"Fine--just-just make it quick." Logan allows him, guilt obviously weighing down on his mind. Lust's eyes meet Deceit.

"Deceit--" Lust begins with a sweet smile of reminiscence. The smile turns into a sneer of insanity as his facade fades.

" _I'll come back for you, you'll never be free from me!!_ **_I always come back!!!_** " Lust screams as Logan realizes his trick and pushes him down the stairs as well. Logan grabs the keys quickly, trying to slam the door shut as fast as possible.

" _I'll see you in y--your dreams, darling!_ " Lust cackles maniacally from the bottom of the cellar as Logan finally shuts the heavy door, locking it completely.

 Deceit knows immediately that Lust's words will never leave him. Unlike the light sides who will go into a deep sleep as both physical and mental wounds repair, Deceit won't. He will remember  _everything_ for as long as he lives simply because he is a dark side connected to the others. It only worked before because it was childhood trauma, and Thomas wasn't involved at all. He doesn't get a happy ending like they do.

 

"Deceit-- Deceit are you okay?" Patton asks him hesitantly, not knowing if Deceit wants to talk to him yet. Deceit doesn't say anything, staring blankly at the door to the cellar. It feels so empty. He thought that seeing them locked away would make him feel better, but it doesn't. It doesn't feel like the sweet release of freedom from his chains like he thought it would. He feels...nothing. Nothing has changed. Lust will live on in his memories no doubt, along with Rage and Pride.

Deceit knows at that exact moment that he will never be free from their torment.

 

 

They all leave together, passing by the rooms that are stained with Deceit's blood. Deceit tries not to look at them, already carrying enough emotional baggage as is. They stand outside the house in the dark alley, figuring out a way to say goodbye to one another.

"So, we -wont re-remember? How- does that work?" Virgil asks anxiously to Logan.

"We all will rest for as long as it takes, and when we wake up, all of this will be repressed. We won't remember anything, not any of the dark sides." Logan announces to them all, still holding Patton's hand in his own.

"What about Deceit? Will we remember him?" Thomas asks. Deceit shuffles awkwardly, not understanding why he'd even care.

"I don't know exactly... but Deceit will still be a part of you." Logan admits.

"Will-will he forget too?" Patton asks Logan, gazing at Deceit with pity in his sad eyes.

"I don't--" Logan begins to tell them that he will remember everything, but Deceit can't let that out.

"Yes. I'll-I'll forget too-" Deceit lies to them all, casting Logan a look of urgency to keep it quiet. Patton lets out an exhale of relief, still keeping his fingers intertwined with Logan's.

"Alright, I guess this is goodbye... I just go to my room, right?" Virgil asks, clearly wanting to just forget already. The memories of torture are still fresh in his mind and must be tormenting him already. Logan nods in agreement. They all watch Virgil sink down into his room.

"I'll see you-- when we wake up." Roman begins to sink down also, but stops himself.

"Erm, Deceit?" Deceit perks up, surprised to hear his name.

"Thank you--for saving us." Roman thanks him with a small smile.

"But I didn't--" It's too late to retort, Roman is already gone. Deceit had done nothing to help them. Hell, he even caused all of this. Now it's Thomas's turn to leave, but first he needs to say something to Deceit.

"Deceit- I should've listened to your warnings when you told me to let it go." He admits, eyes downcast.

"I know that no apology can make up for what you've been through, but I am truly sorry." Thomas apologizes to Deceit, who doesn't know exactly how to respond to that.

"Logan, Patton, Deceit, I'll see you all after the smoke clears." Thomas sinks down aswell, also eager to just forget everything. That leaves only three left.

Deceit silently turns away from the two light sides and begins walking down the darkened path towards his room.

"Deceit--wait!" Logan runs up to him, leaving Patton behind momentarily.

"You are going to remember, aren't you?" Logan whispers to him. Deceit's lack of a response gives him all the answers he needs.

"I am so sorry, Deceit. I wish I could do something..." Logan's eyes tear up on behalf of Deceit. Deceit feels an urge to comfort him.

"Than-Thank you, Logan. For-for killing Pride. I don't know wh-what Lust had planned for me, but I'm glad I never found out-." Deceit thanks him sincerely, meaning every single word. God, if they had taken control, what would have become of him? A torture toy only used for the pleasure of sadists? He doesn't want to think about it, not that his future looks any brighter.

Logan struggles to keep his face calm, clearly choking back tears. Deceit rests a hand on his shoulder and gives him a small forced smile. 

Without another word, Deceit turns and continues down his path, dreading the trauma he will be forced to face.

 

Logan's POV

Logan watches Deceit limp away, his heart heavy with pity for the tortured soul. Deceit went through so goddamn much, and now he has to live with it while the rest of the sides just forget. It's a terrible fate.

He feels Patton's hand brush against his own, their fingers intertwining once again. Patton lays his head on Logan's shoulder, watching Deceit walk away and fade into the darkness.

"I love you, Logan." Patton says to him.

"I love you too." Logan smiles and leans over, kissing Patton's forehead. Patton suddenly grips Logan's face as he looks away and pulls him in, touching their lips together. It's soft and sweet, their hearts fluttering against one another's chest. Logan is speechless when Patton pulls away, smiling sweetly as he blushes a shade of light pink.

"I hope that was okay." Patton says, slightly flustered. Logan wraps his arms around Patton's torso and pulls him in once again. Fire dances along his lips as they touch again, melting into one another. Logan doesn't want to let Patton go, knowing that once they leave one another, he won't remember being in love. If Thomas is to repress all of this, all of the light sides need to forget as well. He can't let his selfish desire for Patton get in the way in that. And besides, they will find each other again, right?

The two separate once more, smiling lovingly at one another.

"We will still be in love, right?" Patton asks the question that Logan has been dreading this whole time. He considers telling Patton the truth, but he doesn't want to hurt Patton at all. It's better for Patton to just not know.

"Yes." Logan lies to his love, guilt piling in his stomach as Patton embraces him tightly once more. A tear drips down from Logan's eye, feeling like he was losing the most important person in his entire existence. And in a way, he is. 

They sink down into their own rooms still holding onto each other.

 

**Epilogue:**

Thomas and all of his light sides forgot everything. They woke up a month later with no memory of the horrors that transpired. Logan and Patton didn't remember their relationship despite Logan's best efforts to hold on. Patton is back to having a secret crush on Logan, who is completely oblivious to his feelings.

Roman went back to his normal self like nothing ever happened, scars on his back healing and disappearing within no time.

The same goes for Virgil, who is still mopey, but not like he was. He has no memory of the hallucinations or beatings from Rage.

Every second of every day was filled with torment for Deceit. There wasn't a second of peace or freedom from his captors. He couldn't sleep most nights due to nightmares. It got to a point where he would try to stay up all night, completely terrified of what lies in store in his unconscious state. His body would be forced to completely shut down, but even then visions of trauma wouldn't leave him alone. The light sides know about him, but they all seem to hate him as they did before. He doesn't show himself at all, but he is sometimes pulled in by them when Thomas lies. He is usually greeted with sighs of disgust and hatred from the other sides.

Deceit healed to some point, but his scars didn't leave like the light sides'. His back is still coiled with whip scars, and his ribs will forever be slightly deformed from repeated breaking. The brands that Lust seared into his wrists are still there, and they leave a permanent copy of his shackles from one month ago. 

Lust's final words echo through his head daily, refusing to let him relax for even a second.

Everyday Deceit is reminded that Lust will come back for him, leaving him a paranoid mess. The slightest noise can trigger full-on visions of torture that engulf Deceit fully.

For Deceit, Lust and Rage never left.

Deceit is and always will be Lust's pet, and there's nothing he can do to break free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End!!  
> I know, pretty bittersweet ending, eh?  
> If you all didn't know already, I've been thinking of making a sequel. If you want specific themes or ships in it, do let me know! I'd love to incorporate some of your guys' ideas as well! I also want to start updating on a schedule, something realistic like twice a week? I don't want to start a new fic and immediately go offline for like 3 months xD.
> 
> Thank you all for reading this fic, it's been a pleasure writing for all of you! <3 ~~  
> \- Star <3


	35. A g o r a p h o b i a

 

Aģ̟̳̈̄̌orã̗̘̱͝͠p̥͕̎̇͜͝h̓͜o̱b̥̺̲̹̅̍̓̕i̪̺͋̔a̮͎̖̠̩̓͗̈́̓͠:

 

 

/ˌaɡərəˈfōbēə/

 

  1.     1. extreme or irrational fear of entering open or crowded places, of leaving one's own home, or of being in places from which escape is difficult. It also includes situations that may make one feel                  

                      h̬̹̲͕̯̭̓͋̃̓ę̡͔̭̘̐̓̂͆͘l̡̩̦̙̗̫̤͊̐̾̋̽͞͝p̗̂l̛̪͚͓͍̈́̍̔e̡͉̙̜̱̘̓̅̑̉̽͂̕͢š̰̣̩̱͔͂̓̅̕s͖̬͉̻̊̃̕͝,

                                     a̫̔n̛͖͕̩͖̩̣͔͚̳̥̒̆̍̽̃̏̚͘͠ẍ̝̭̝̱͖͍̮̮͎́͋̋̈̔̊͗͗̌ḭ̢͚̆͛̕ò̧̡̳̦̞̈̔̆͘u͙̤̘̗̺̥̒̐̽̈̍̽̚͟s̭͔͕̹͖̋̊̐̏͘͢ͅ   or

                                                       ḩ̩̋̍ṻ̢̨̳͕̠͚͔͎̮̑͊̄̍́͑͋̐͟m̢̺̟̯͌̄͗͂i̼̺̻̺̮̣͇̲̥͐̎̆̐͋̐̏̀̓ḽ̙̚͡i̯̞̪̬̝̘̱̫̽̒̐̍̌̑̍̒̎͛̚͢͜͜ą͎̯̰͔̩̦̈́̌̈̿̾͛̕͟͟͝t͉̙̆̓ȩ̢̩͇͔̯̹̫̳̰̿͋̍͊̽̈́̋̚͟͞͡d͙͍̖̼͈̄͂̉͂




Agoraphobia is caused by  ~~traumatic experiences in which one may have been tortured~~ having too much fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun,

      fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun,

          fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, 

              fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun,  

                   fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun,

                          fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun.

 

˙ƃuᴉlɹɐp 'ǝɯ ʇɟǝl noʎ ʎɐp ǝɥʇ ʇǝɹƃǝɹ llᴉʍ no⅄ ˙ʞɔɐq ǝɯoɔ sʎɐʍlɐ I ˙ʎɐd noʎ ǝʞɐɯ llᴉʍ I 'ʇᴉǝɔǝp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sequel is here. 'Agoraphobia' on my page ;)  
> Do you think you can H A N D L E I T, my darlings?


End file.
